Antam, Ministry of Forestry sign agreement on biodiversity conservation
Wednesday, December 28 2011 - 04:36 AM WIB
ANTAM announced in Jakarta on Tuesday that the agreement was signed by Antam?s President Director Alwinsyah Lubis, Director General Darori (in charge of forest protection and natural conservation (PHKA)) of the Ministry of Forestry, and PT Rimbawan Bangun Lestari's President Director Yulianus Sunarto at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Jakarta, on December 21, 2011.
The signing of the agreement was also witnessed by Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan, Indonesia's former vice president M. Jusuf Kalla, and former Minister of Environment, Rachmat Witoelar.
The agreement aims to implement rehabilitation, restoration, and conservation of the natural resources and ecosystem of the Halimun-Salak Mountain National Park (TNGHS). The three parties will collaborate in the next five years to conduct scientific research on the selection of types and techniques of rehabilitation/restoration and its monitoring method; assessment on the patterns of community engagement in the rehabilitation/restoration program and its implementation; rehabilitation/ restoration activities; observation of rehabilitation/restoration impacts; and documentation of the rehabilitation/ restoration process.
Antam?s President Director, Alwinsyah Lubis, said the collaboration agreement is one of Antam?s concrete contributions to establish the preservation of the natural resources and ecosystem equilibrium of the Halimun-Salak-Mountain National Park. "This is also one of the implementations of good mining practices, which are constantly incorporated in all of our corporate activities," he said.
The collaboration agreement is the next step following the opening of TNGHS? Center of Biodiversity Preservation located at Antam?s Gold Mining Business Unit at Pongkor, West Java, on December 27, 2010.
The preservation center comprises the Center of Research and Education of Native Plants, the Center of Native-Plant Nursery and Plantation, nursery facilities, and the Center of Land Reclamation and Restoration.
The Ministry of Forestry plans to create TNGHS as Southeast Asias largest Center of Biodiversity Conservation. (romel)