The Indonesian Environmental Almanac

It has only been since the nation's third Five-Year Plan (starting in 1979) that environmental management and development has been an issue in Indonesia. Thus it is still rela¬tively new. Nevertheless, in a fairly short time Indonesia has already done a great deal to begin managing its environmental affairs. With the intention of displaying Indonesia's experience in environmental management, we bring this book, the Indonesian Environmental Almanac, to you.The original version of this book was published in Indonesian in September 1996. This English version contains additions and updates of data and information which we hope will make it more attractive and useful.The Indonesian Environmental Almanac invites the reader to enter into a dialogue on issues such as why we need to be concerned with the environment, who is responsible for environmental management, who we can contact to report instances of pollution, and what has already been done by the government, the private sector and communities about environmental management. It has been a major responsibility to bring this almanac to completion. With a very short lead time and the very broad scope of the book we have had the daunting task of preparing a book which is both comprehensive and accessible for our readers. We are well aware that many deficiencies remain, particularly concerning up-to-date data. We do not pretend that this book can provide you with all relevant information on every topic related to environmental management in Indonesia. For this reason we welcome comments, suggestions and criticism which will enable us to improve future editions of the book.Finally, we would like to thank all those who helped in the compilation of this almanac, particularly the State Minister for the Environment who has entrusted us with the task of preparing and publishing this almanac. We hope that the Indonesian Environmental Almanac will enrich the literature available on environmental matters in Indonesia and will be useful for all those concerned with the environment.