Jakarta, December 23, 2011 – PT ANTAM (Persero) Tbk (ANTAM; ASX – ATM; IDX – ANTM) is pleased to announce it signed a collaboration agreement with the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Natural Conservation (PHKA) of the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia and PT Rimbawan Bangun Lestari (Sustainable Management Group) to develop the biodiversity conservation centre of the Halimun-Salak Mountain National Park. The agreement was signed by ANTAM’s President Director, Alwinsyah Lubis, the General Director of PHKA, Darori, and the President Director of PT Rimbawan Bangun Lestari, Yulianus Sunarto at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Jakarta, on December 21, 2011. The Minister of Forestry, Zulkifli Hasan, former Vice President of Republic of Indonesia, M. Jusuf Kalla, and former Minister of Environment, Rachmat Witoelar were also present at the signing ceremony.
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,
"This 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 corporate activities."
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 of 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 Asia’s largest Center of Biodiversity Conservation.
