Indonesia's forestry minister axes deal with paper firm over 'irregularities'

Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar has vetoed a land management agreement with a member company of pulp and paper company Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (April) over irregularities in the way the deal was struck last month. According to the agreement, the Riau Conservation Agency and Gemilang Cipta Nusantara were to jointly manage 50,000ha of land in Riau, comprising Zamrud National Park and several wildlife reserves in the Kampar Peninsula. Dr Herry Purnomo, a scientist at the Centre for International Forestry Research, said the private sector should understand that the government "takes the lead" in managing national parks and that they are "only invited to contribute".