'Leuser National Park has lost 20% of its trees to logging'<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Approximately 20 percent of the forest in Mount Leuser
\nNational Park in North Sumatra had been illegally felled by the
\nyear 2000, local officials have announced, adding foreign
\ninvestors might have been involved.<\/p>\n
About 170,000 hectares of forests, or around 20 percent of the
\nnational park's total forest area of 842,000 hectares, vanished
\nby 2000, said Jamal M. Gawi, the forest coordinator of the Leuser
\nManagement Unit on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Illegal loggers raided the forest's South and southeastern
\nsection, which is home to much of the park's abundant flora and
\nfauna, he said.<\/p>\n
The disappearance of such a huge forest area, he said, had led
\nto a drop in the number of orangutans in the park, which in 1998
\nstood at 6,000 half the number recorded in 1992.<\/p>\n
Jamal said that a two-year investigation by his unit pointed
\nto the involvement of a South Korean investor in the illegal
\nlogging operation.<\/p>\n
The investor, whom Jamal called Mr. Kim, financed and planned
\nthe illegal logging activities.<\/p>\n
Local councillor Zaidan BS also supported Jamal's claim that
\nforeign investors were involved in the illegal trade.<\/p>\n
Zaidan suspected an American investor from Malaysia had been
\norganizing illegal logging operations, though he declined to
\nreveal any details.<\/p>\n
According to him, it had been difficult to infiltrate illegal
\nlogging groups.<\/p>\n
The head of the North Sumatra Ministry of Forestry office,
\nDarori, said he had never heard about foreign investors
\nparticipating in illegal logging, unlike their local peers.<\/p>\n
He said his office had done all it could to protect the
\nnational park's trees: \"But we lack police personnel to guard the
\nentire area\".<\/p>\n
Jamal said it was difficult to curb illegal logging because it
\nsometimes involves local officials and security personnel.<\/p>\n
\"Looking at the police's inaction we may suspect their
\ninvolvement,\" Jamal said.<\/p>\n
He said that illegal timber is usually transported to Medan
\nfor documentation clearance so they can pass off as legal
\nexports.<\/p>\n
Jamal cited two locations in Medan where the paper clearance
\ntook place: at Jl. Binjai and Jl. Tanjung Sari. Once cleared, the
\nlogs are shipped abroad through the Belawan and Tanjung Balai
\nharbors.<\/p>\n
Zaidan called the export route through Tanjung Balai the
\nillegal loggers' \"silk road\", named after the famous trade route
\nlinking Europe with China.<\/p>\n
\"Every month about 5,000 tons of illegal timber is shipped out
\nof Indonesia along 'the silk road',\" he said, adding the state
\nmust be suffering billions of rupiah in lost tax revenues as a
\nresult.<\/p>\n
Illegal logging also threatens the local timber industry and
\nthe livelihood of some 70,000 workers there, he added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/leuser-national-park-has-lost-20-of-its-trees-to-logging-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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