By: Masayu Yulien Vinanda
Jakarta (11/05)-Post 10 Sumatran Government on saving Sumatra ecosystem declared on 18 September 2008 and officially launched in October 2008 at IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, Spain, four Ministries and Sumatran Government launched a document titled “Road Map for Saving Sumatra Ecosystem: Sumatra Vision 2020,” on Tuesday (11/05) in Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta.
The document officially launched by Minister of The Environment Gusti Muhammad Hatta, Minister of Forestry Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Public Works Djoko Kirmanto and Minister of Home Affairs Gamawan Fauzi represented by Directorate General of. Regional Development (Bangda) of Ministry of Home Affairs Syamsul Arif, and 10 Governors and their representatives. Member of Presidential Advisory Council Emil Salim also attended the event.

10 Sumatran Governors involved were Governor of Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Jambi, Bangka Belitung, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, and Lampung.
Minister Gamawan Fauzi on his keynote speech read by Directorate General of. Regional Development (Bangda) of Ministry of Home Affairs Syamsul Arif said that the road map document was expected to become a model guide for sustainable development implemented by Sumatran governors to save the ecosystem.
Furthermore, he said, the criteria and action on the document could give input for completing long term development plan and mid term development plan, strategic plan in all regional unit of work (SKPD) and spatial plan at provincial, district, and city level in Sumatra starting on 2010 to the next term.
Meanwhile Minister Zulkifli said the road map document agreed by Sumatran governors would become guidance for making policy in Ministry of Forestry related to forest convertion process. “The road map for saving Sumatra ecosystem can become our strong argument, for Ministry of Forestry to ban conversion forest or protected area. We can show the official document agreed by Sumatran governor to save Sumatra ecosystem and biodiversities,” he said.

As an initial step to implement the document, three provinces have been identified as demonstration locations. They were Riau, Jambi, and West Sumatra or called “Integrated RIMBA ecosystem.” The demonstration locations covering area of four million hectare comprises Bukit Barisan mountainous area in the Heart of Sumatra.
“In RIMBA corridor, I expect, 40 % are protected area covering conservation and ecosystem area. Other 40 % are cultivated area. Meanwhile the rest of it, 20 % is expected to become corridor lingking those ecosystem area. This link corridor is also determined as protected area. There will be no settlements, cultivation area, or else inside this protected area,” Minister Djoko Kirmanto said.
He also expected that the road map document could become an important reference in completing Spatial Plan both at the island, provincial, and district level in accordance to Law No. 26/2007 regarding Spatial Plan. At the sama ocation, Minister of the Environment Gusti Muhammad Hatta underlined three important points written on the Sumatra road map document.
First, activities related to rehabilitation of critical area and ecosystem restoration for degraded area. Second, management of the areas which are still in good condition, using sustainable management model. Lastly, the development of incentive and disincentive models for land use implementation.