INDONESIA I

National seminar on the revitalisation of the Indonesian environmental movement through the application of Islamic environmental ethics.


OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the seminar will be to sensitise and revitalise the Indonesian environmental movement through creating an understanding of the holistic and practical nature of the Islamic approach to environmental protection. The seminar will be national in character and will draw on the expertise and experience of the whole country and will involve participants who are specialists, educators and decision makers, who are in a position to generate programmes of ongoing positive action. This gathering will make recommendations to this effect.

Because of the urgent nature of the problem due to uncontrolled deforestation the seminar will focus on community based forest resource management through the application of Islamic ethics/teachings as an alternative to existing management systems. This initiative will revitalise the concept of sustainable resource management through community action.

LOCATION

The seminar will be held in the university town of Bandung, West Java.

BACKGROUND

Indonesia is the world’s most populace Muslim country numbering over 220,000,000 million people nearly ninety percent of who are Muslim. It is also endowed with one of the richest sources of bio-diversity in the world, which is now unfortunately under threat from over exploitation. One of the more apparent results of this mindless race for consumer growth is the alarming rate of deforestation which is negatively impacting both on the lives of the people and the environment. Many consider the situation to be dire and are calling for some form of concerted action with a return to local responsibility. The revitalisation of conservation principles based on Islamic teachings is seen as showing the way to conserving what is already left of the rich natural systems of the country.

The Recent political changes in the country has shifted power to local centres as a result of which new tensions have appeared between some of the older institutions and the aspiration to power of the local people. In West Java for example the Perhutani (a forest corporation under control by the Department of Forestry) has been the legitimate institution that managed forests up to the present time. But, as a result of the implementation of Regional/Local Autonomy regulation (Law No. 22 Year 1999), which ushered in the decentralisation process, local/provincial governments are campaigning to take control of forest management from the Perhutani. One of the main reasons for this is that much of the forest area in West Java, which is 23% of the total area of the region (approx. 3.5 million ha.), only less than 9% is covered by forest stand. The rest, that is 14% of the forest, is classified as deforested areas.

The environmental impact of this forest degradation has in some cases been catastrophic: early this month (Feb. 2003) a massive landslide in Garut and Kuningan [both in West Java] cost more than 20 people their lives. The condition of the rest of Java Island is more or less the same. The emphasis within these institutional disputes concerning the management of forest resources is to empower civil society and thus give autonomy to local communities to choose their own methods of conservation, which leaves considerable scope for the implementation of Islam based conservation initiatives.


IMPLEMENTATION

Depends on the availability of funds.

LEAD ORGANISATIONS AND CONTACT PERSONS

Dr. Chay Asdak
Director of International Relations
Institute of Ecology
Padjadjaran University
Jalan Sekeloa Selatan 1
Bandung 40132
West Java
INDONESIA
Fax: +62-22-2504982; +62-22-7279435
E-mail: [email protected]


Kiai Ahmad Thonthowi
Pondok Pesantren Luhur Al Wasilah
Jl. Cipanas Baru Samping Hotel Empang Asri
Ds Pananjung Kec Banyuresmi
Garut 44191
West Java
INDONESIA
Tel/fax 0262 241 641