Sustainability requires environmental protection planning: Minister

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya highlighted the need to complete the legislation process of environmental protection and management planning (PPPLH) to guide Indonesia in creating a sustainable future.

In her opening speech at an inter-ministerial meeting in Jakarta on Thursday, Nurbaya stated that Government Regulation Draft (RPP) on PPPLH draws inspiration from the mandates put forward in Law No. 32 of 2009 concerning protection and management of the environment.

"The RPP on PPPLH constitutes a crucial step to address various challenges and issues related to sustainability and is inspired by Law No. 32 of 2009. This RPP serves as a compass, a guide, to help us transition to a more sustainable future," she remarked.

According to Nurbaya, such a regulation is required to properly respond to rapid economic growth that brings about multiple impacts in the form of economic and environmental injustice, air pollution, clean water crisis, hazardous waste, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

The minister also drew attention to other actual challenges, such as complex issues related to the utilization of domestic natural resources, international uncertainties, and the need to balance economic growth and environmental preservation.

The minister believes that innovative solutions and collaboration are of the essence to deal with environmental injustice and damages.

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"These are the reasons that prompted me to instruct director generals to act quickly. I have set the target of completing (the PPPLH regulation) by June or July, as it is urgently needed. Otherwise, we will be stuck," she explained.

Nurbaya then expressed belief that implementation of the PPPLH regulation would help facilitate Indonesia to identify accurate actions aimed at preserving functions of the environment and preventing environmental pollution and damages.