Kerinci park rich in coal and gold deposits

Jambi is seeking an approval from the World Bank to tap natural resources Kerinci Seblat National Park, one of important forest conservation areas in the country, to support its economy, the province governor has said.

Governor Zulkifli Nurdin said on Saturday that millions of coal and gold deposits found in more than 215,000 hectares of the 420,000 park are big enough to support the province's economy especially after it gains a wide autonomy from the central bank.

"We have asked an approval from the World Bank to develop the mineral resources in the park, but the Bank rejected our proposal," he said at a seminar on the potency of natural resources in supporting local economy.

He regretted the World Bank's rejection but he said the province would continue to convince the Bank that turning a part of the conservation park into mining sites would give more benefits to the people rather than if the park is left as it is.

If the province is allowed to tap the natural resources in the park, Jambi province will have enough sources of revenues to finance it social and economic development in the province, he said. He added that from timber production alone, the province could earn trillion of rupiah from the forest conservation park. (*)