Activists worry Aceh reconstruction could harm forests<\/p>\n
Burt Herman, Associated Press\/Jantho, Aceh<\/p>\n
Rustling branches betray the likely presence of an orangutan in
\nthe distance, while twittering insects and streams provide the
\nsoundtrack of the tropical forests of Aceh province, a temple of
\nnature rising above the tsunami-ravaged shores below.<\/p>\n
Though the forests that cover much of Aceh were left largely
\nuntouched by the Dec. 26 disaster, environmentalists fear these
\nareas could be hurt in the rush to rebuild. And they warn a
\nfailure to heed environmental concerns during reconstruction
\ncould end up causing yet more natural disasters.<\/p>\n
At the same time, greater scrutiny now by the scores of
\ninternational aid workers who are here could help minimize the
\nillegal logging fueled by widespread corruption that has
\nflourished under the military's unchecked reign in Aceh, where
\nforeigners have been mostly banned.<\/p>\n
\"It is clear that the recovery and reconstruction process
\nunder way must also invest in the environmental capital of
\nnatural resources, the forests, mangroves and coral reefs that
\nare nature's buffer to such disasters and their consequences,\"
\nKlaus Toepfer, head of the U.N. Environment Program said
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
The tsunami's toll on the environment across the Indian Ocean
\nis only now being assessed, since most aid work focuses on the
\nimmediate need of feeding and sheltering the hundreds of
\nthousands of survivors.<\/p>\n
In Sri Lanka and Thailand, coral reefs were broken and buried
\nunder sand, disrupting delicate ocean ecosystems. Rice fields and
\nwells have been inundated with salt water, requiring years of
\nrehabilitation.<\/p>\n
Aceh was hardest-hit because it was closest to the epicenter
\nof the earthquake that spawned the tsunami. A report by the
\ngovernment and international community estimated the economic
\ncost to the environment at US$675 million (euro520 million), the
\nU.N. Environment Program said.<\/p>\n
Still, left untouched in the center of Aceh is the 2.6 million
\nhectare (6.4 million acre) Leuser Ecosystem, crowned by a 3,140-
\nmeter (10,302-foot) mountain of the same name.<\/p>\n
A moratorium on logging across Aceh was declared in March 2001
\nto protect Leuser and other forests, but that hasn't stopped
\nillegal tree-cutting -- sometimes with the participation of rogue
\nelements in the military that controls the region.<\/p>\n
Teddy Gunawarman, secretary-general of the Leuser
\nInternational Foundation, which has a government mandate to
\nprotect the area, said he fears that in inland areas ringed with
\nforests, people will simply cut down nearby trees to rebuild
\nrather than buy legal wood from elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The forest forms the last place in the world where large
\nmammals like elephants, orangutans, tigers and rhinoceros live
\ntogether, Gunawarman said.<\/p>\n
There could be ripple effects. In Jantho, 60 kilometers (35
\nmiles) southeast of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, for
\nexample, logging could eliminate a vital water catchment along
\nthe Krueng Aceh river that feeds into the city, raising the risk
\nof floods.<\/p>\n
\"People will be hit by a second natural disaster,\" Gunawarman
\nwarned.<\/p>\n
It's happened before on Sumatra island. In November 2003, more
\nthan 200 people were killed when a flash flood swept through the
\nBukit Lawang tourist resort in North Sumatra province that
\nneighbors Aceh.<\/p>\n
Officials blamed illegal cutting upstream and labeled the
\npeople involved in the trade \"environmental terrorists\" --
\nthreatening those convicted of illegal logging with a death
\nsentence.<\/p>\n
Mike Griffiths, vice chairman of the Leuser International
\nFoundation, suggests using coconut trees and other alternative
\nmaterials for new homes -- or even importing wood -- rather than
\ncutting down the valuable hardwoods that make up Indonesia's
\nforests.<\/p>\n
\"This is a chance for the international community to get
\ntogether and instead of giving money or rice, to give timber,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Mustafa Hasjbullah, head of the provincial Forestry
\nDepartment, said he is pleading with aid groups not to use
\nillegal logs to build new homes for tsunami victims. But he said
\nhis office can't really do anything to stop illegal logging and
\nthe final responsibility rests with the national government.<\/p>\n
\"I have forestry police but they have no power,\" said
\nHasjbullah.<\/p>\n
The military says it receives only 30 percent to 40 percent of
\nthe funding its needs to operate in Aceh. That has encouraged the
\nsoldiers to come up with other solutions to make ends meet --
\nencouraging corruption and illegal businesses, said Steven
\nGalster, executive director in Thailand of the environmental
\nadvocacy group WildAid and an expert on illegal logging in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"There's an opportunity here now that Aceh is open ... to keep
\n(the army) busy in reconstruction without cutting down trees,\"
\nGalster said. \"It's a kind of ugly silver lining.\"<\/p>\n
In Banda Aceh's urban planning office, Chairani Abdullah pores
\nover plans for some 21 relocation camps with barracks for 100
\npeople each, housing she says is needed urgently.
\nStill, she said no illegal wood would be used in the haste to
\nfinish the temporary houses for the tsunami homeless, enabling
\nthem to move out of tents and try to return to normal life.<\/p>\n
\"Even though it's an emergency, we have rules,\" she said.<\/p>\n
GetAP 1.00 -- JAN 27, 2005 07:17:15<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/activists-worry-aceh-reconstruction-could-harm-forests-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }