Cablegate: Indonesia Esth Highlights: August - October 2007

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RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #3185/01 3200917
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160917Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7091
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1587
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4494
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1133
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 4297
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 3353

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 003185

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS AND OES/ETC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TPHY TBIO TRGY ENRG ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIA ESTH HIGHLIGHTS: AUGUST - OCTOBER 2007

1. Summary: The Indonesian Supreme Court hosted a judiciary workshop
on wildlife crime and prosecution under the ASEAN Wildlife
Enforcement Network (WEN) program in August. The Vice Governor of
Jakarta announced on September 27 that Jakarta could potentially
receive $2 million in funding from developed countries under the
Kyoto Protocol if it can reduce its CO2 emissions. A 2007 survey
found that despite overall decreases in other parts of the island,
Sumatran rhino populations in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park
and Way Kambas National Park in Lampung increased by up to 30
animals. On September 29, Vice President Yusuf Kalla announced that
starting in 2008, Indonesia would increase its reforestation target
from 1 million to 2 million hectares per year. On September 25, the
Head of Forest Office of West Papua said that the Governors of Papua
and West Papua provinces would release a joint decree to ban log
exports from Papua. The State Ministry of Environment announced on
September 15 that it aims to phase out imports of ozone-depleting
substances by the end of 2007 as set in the Montreal Protocol. On
October 7, Customs officials successfully foiled efforts to smuggle
70 rare animals through Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta. The
State Ministry for Research and Technology and the United Nations
Development Programme conducted a "Train the Trainer" session on
open-source geographic information system software in Jakarta on
October 22-27. On October 3, the Jakarta provincial government
granted Rp 40 billion ($4.4 million) to improve health and education
services in eight of its satellite cities. At a ceremony to
commemorate World Sight Day, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced
that it would increase its focus on reducing the numbers of
vision-impaired children. Several residents of Wolotau Village in
the Kota Baru sub-district of the Ende Regency were stricken with
anthrax after eating contaminated buffalo meat in mid-October. The
Anak Krakatau, or "Child of Krakatau" Volcano, began spitting out
flaming rocks and smoke in late October. On October 23, the WWF
Program Coordinator for West Kalimantan Hermayani Putera announced
that poachers had smuggled rare plant species including orchids and
nepenthes (also known as tropical pitcher plants) from Kalimantan to
Malaysia. End Summary

Indonesia Hosts ASEAN WEN Judiciary Training
--------------------------------------------- ---

2. The Indonesian Supreme Court hosted a judiciary workshop on
wildlife crime and prosecution under the ASEAN WEN program in August
in Jakarta. The two-day workshop brought together representatives
from Indonesia's judicial sector and focused on prosecution,
investigation, Indonesian laws governing protection of wild animals
and plants, local and trans-national cooperation with other
agencies, and ASEAN-wide initiatives on Mutual Legal Assistance.
Judicial officers from Thailand, Malaysia and the United States
joined the event in order to share best practices and increase
international cooperation to fight trans-national criminals involved
in the wildlife trade. Indonesia plans a follow-up training for the
national police in February 2008.

Jakarta May Be Eligible for Funding for CO2 Reduction
--------------------------------------------- --------

3. On September 27, Vice Governor of Jakarta Fauzi Wibowo announced
that Jakarta could potentially receive $2 million in funding from
developed countries under the Kyoto Protocol if it can reduce its
CO2 emissions. To be eligible for the funding, Jakarta would have to
meet United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) certification
requirements. Fauzi stated that the Jakarta administration is
implementing a clean air project to try to meet the UNEP standards.
Dollaris R. Suhadi, Project Manager of the Clean Air Project,
explained that achieving UNEP certification will take up to a year
of research and between $500,000 and $1 million in funding. Jakarta
officials are optimistic that the city will be able to meet UNEP
requirements, citing for example that since the city's bus ways
became operational in 2004-2005, the total number of private
vehicles on the road has decreased by 14%.

Survey Shows Sumatran Rhino Population on the Rise
--------------------------------------------- -----

4. A 2007 survey conducted by the Rhino Protection Unit (RPU) and
Yayasan Badak Indonesia found that despite overall decreases in
other parts of the island, Sumatran rhino populations in Bukit
Barisan Selatan National Park and Way Kambas National Park in
Lampung increased by between 24 and 30 animals (to a total of 60 and
85 in each park, respectively). Coordinator of the RPU Arief
Rubiyanto stated the increase was unexpected, considering the many
threats to the rare animals from poachers and territorial
encroachment due to illegal logging and forest conversion
activities. RPU patrolling activities in both parks and the curbing
of poaching contributed to the improved numbers. In recognition of

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his efforts, Rubiyanto received the Disney Conservation Award from
the Walt Disney Corporation.

Indonesia Reforestation Target Raised to 2 Million Hectares Per
Year
--------------------------------------------- ------

5. On September 29, Vice President Yusuf Kalla announced that
starting in 2008, Indonesia would increase its reforestation target
from 1 million to 2 million hectares per year. Kalla added that the
international community could not blame Indonesia for cutting its
forests in the past, since timber consuming countries such as the
U.S., Japan and Korea invested in the concession business. Note:
Although the central government's sets the target, responsibility
for implementation falls to the regional governments, who may face
difficulty meeting the increased level.

Papua Provincial Government Bans Log Exports
--------------------------------------------- ----

6. On September 25, the Head of Forest Office of West Papua
Province said that the Governor of Papua Barnabas Suebu and Governor
of West Papua Abraham O. Atururi would release a joint decree to ban
log exports from Papua. The Papuan administration wants to push
investors to open wood processing facilities in Papua rather than
shipping logs out from Papua. There are currently 25 concessions
within a 4.6 million hectare area, while there is only one wood
processing facility, which is located in Sorong. The Papuan
government will implement the ban incrementally, beginning with a
moratorium on 30 percent of log exports. TIME magazine highlighted
Governor Suebu in October as an environmental hero for his
conservation efforts.

Government to Halt Ozone-Depleting Imports
-------------------------------------------

7. The State Ministry of Environment announced on September 15 that
it aims to phase out imports of ozone-depleting substances by the
end of 2007 as set in the Montreal Protocol. The Ministry said that
as of August, imports of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) for the year had
reached 193 metric tons, down from 2,331 metric tons in 2006.
Officials stated that the ministry had phased out the use of 1,209
metric tons of CFCs from several sectors in 2006 and would eliminate
use of CFCs from the industrial sector by June 2008.

Indonesian Customs Officials Foil Animal Smugglers
--------------------------------------------- ------

8. On October 7, Customs officials successfully foiled efforts to
smuggle 70 rare animals through Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta.
The Ministry of Finance's Investigation and Enforcement Section
reported that Indonesian citizen Jonathan Leo Nardha had tried to
smuggle the rare animals in speaker boxes. Nardha was transporting
the animals from Malaysia for Indonesian customers in Jakarta.

Disaster Data Base Training Conducted in Jakarta
--------------------------------------------- -----

9. The State Ministry for Research and Technology and the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducted a "Train the Trainer"
session on open-source geographic information system (GIS) software
in Jakarta on October 22-27. Francis Sarmiento III, Project Officer
for the UNDP's ASEAN Plus Three Sub-regional Node International Open
Source Network, explained that Indonesia needed good, efficient,
effective and fast local and national databases and information
systems to anticipate and manage natural disasters. Sarmiento
explained that database and GIS implementation using closed software
sources is difficult for developing countries due budget
limitations. To address this challenge, the international community
has developed GIS applications using free open source software for
use by countries such as Indonesia. Around 30 participants with key
disaster mitigation responsibilities in the Indonesian government
took part in the training.

Jakarta Grants Funding for Health Services
-------------------------------------------

10. On October 3, the Jakarta provincial government granted Rp 40
billion ($4.4 million) to improve health and education services in
eight of its satellite cities. The grant would support efforts to
establish community health centers and reduce the number of
outbreaks of communal diseases. The grant includes the surrounding
cities of Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and Cianjur in West java Province, as
well as Tangerang in Banten.

JAKARTA 00003185 003 OF 003

GOI Seeks to Reduce Vision Impaired Numbers
--------------------------------------------

11. At a ceremony to commemorate World Sight Day, the Ministry of
Health (MOH) announced that it would increase its focus on reducing
the numbers of visually impaired children. The MOH has conducted
several programs under this initiative, including preventative
measures through early detection of blindness in community health
centers, provision of vitamin A supplements to combat deficiencies
that raise the risk of blindness, and subsidies for regular exams
and eyeglasses for poorer families. The MOH has established a
national commission to tackle blindness and other sight disorders.

Anthrax attacks villagers in East Nusa Tenggara
--------------------------------------------- ---

12. The Head of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Sub Office of Veterinary
of Livestock Office, Maria Geong, reported on October 30 that
several residents of Wolotau Village in the Kota Baru sub-district
of the Ende Regency were stricken with anthrax after eating
contaminated buffalo meat. Around 20 villagers were in critical
condition and hospitalized. Geong instructed the Health and
Livestock Offices to isolate the area, and the Ende Health Office
sent medical teams to the village to support the effort. Ende
Regency has been an endemic anthrax area since 1994, where anthrax
spores can live up to 60 years.

Anak Krakatau Volcano Spits Flames
-----------------------------------

13. The Anak Krakatau, or "Child of Krakatau" Volcano, began
spitting out flaming rocks and smoke in late October. Saut
Simatupang of Indonesia's Center for Vulcanology and Geological
Hazard Mitigation predicted that the volcano would continue to
rumble for some time but posed little danger to the area. Anak
Krakatau sits in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.

"Nepenthes" Flies from Kalimantan
---------------------------------

14. On October 23, the WWF Program Coordinator for West Kalimantan
Hermayani Putera announced that poachers had smuggled rare plant
species including orchids and nepenthes (also known as tropical
pitcher plants) from Kalimantan to Malaysia. They hunted the plants
in the Meratus Mountain area and the Hampangin Forest, located in
the Katingan Ilir Sub-district of Katinan Regency (approximately 40
miles from Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan). Demand for these
species has increased in Malaysia, leading to an increase in
poaching in Indonesia. The Indonesian Orchid Association expressed
worry that these activities are threatening the sustainability of
the species. Malaysian consumers allegedly pay local people to
collect the rare and protected plants in Kalimantan's forests for
sale. One pot of Nepenthes is worth Rp 20,000 (approximately
$2.00), and the price for a Black Orchid ranges from Rp 45,000 to Rp
75,000 (approximately $4.80 to $8.10). To minimize the threat of
poaching, the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Office
has trained local residents to develop nurseries for the endangered
plants.

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