Governor lashes out at illegal logging<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jambi Governor Zulkiffli Nurdin has hit out at rife illegal
\nlogging in the Kerinci Seblat National Reserve, home to large
\nnumbers of rare species of flora and fauna.<\/p>\n
\"Many reports have reached me that almost every night, some 30
\nlogging trucks transport logs out of the protected reserve,\" he
\nsaid when opening a bridge project in Muaro Madrasah Village,
\nJangkat Regency, Jambi on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He called on the provincial police and local military to
\nimmediately take stern action to stop the logging.<\/p>\n
The national reserve, covering 1.48 million hectares in Jambi,
\nSouth Sumatra, Bengkulu and West Sumatra, contains millions of
\nhectares of virgin rainforest, rare and protected species such as
\nelephants, rhinoceros, tapirs, tigers, sun bears and clouded
\nleopards.<\/p>\n
Besides the wild animals and the beautiful scenery, which
\nincludes Lake Kerinci and Mount Kerinci, the park has many rare
\nbotanical species.<\/p>\n
A number of international institutions and foundations have
\ndonated resources to help the government manage the reserve.<\/p>\n
Zulkiffli reiterated that the four provinces had long agreed
\nto enhance cooperation to preserve the park.<\/p>\n
\"The local forestry offices and security authorities in the
\nfour provinces must take strict action against all sides who are
\ninvolved in the illegal logging,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He warned that donor countries could stop their donations if
\nthe environmental deterioration at the park continued.<\/p>\n
He called on security authorities to crack down on the
\nmushrooming sawmills operating near the national park which were
\nbelieved to process logs looted from the protected forest.<\/p>\n
\"The presence of sawmills near the national park is an
\nindication that they get their raw materials from the park,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The Jambi Provincial Police have confiscated hundreds of cubic
\nmeters of illegal logs from a number of sawmills while the owners
\nhave been arrested for further investigation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/governor-lashes-out-at-illegal-logging-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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