Military, government, loggers 'destroying' forests<\/p>\n
A number of representatives of environmental organizations
\nrecently investigated the construction of the Ladia Galaska
\nhighway, which starts on the west coast of southern Aceh and
\nwinds its way through Gayo and Alas before it ends on the east
\ncoast facing the Straits of Malacca, in North Sumatra. The
\nJakarta Post's Tarko Sudiarno joined the trip along the road that
\ncuts through the world famous Gunung Leuser National Park.<\/p>\n
"It gives me a headache and causes my blood pressure to shoot
\nup," Johnson Panjaitan, secretary general of the Indonesian Legal
\nAid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) said as he surveyed the
\nburnt out forest and scattered forest timber left behind by
\nillegal loggers tearing apart Gunung Leuser National Park, North
\nSumatra.<\/p>\n
"This situation calls for immediate advocacy and a lawsuit
\nagainst the regional administrations because they have openly
\nadvocated the destruction of our forests," said Panjaitan, also
\nchairman of the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi).<\/p>\n
Anybody, particularly those concerned with the environment,
\nwould be appalled at the sight of the damage that human beings
\nhave done to the protected forest areas in Bukit Barisan and in
\nGunung Leuser National Park. That afternoon, when we went through
\nTanah Karo, Langkat, North Sumatra, we found the two areas
\nalready connected by a new road.<\/p>\n
The 35-km-long through road, which cuts through the Gunung
\nLeuser protected forest and national park, was built in the 1980s
\nby the military, probably illegally.<\/p>\n
"As far as we know, this road has been constructed without any
\nanalysis on environmental impact (AMDAL) at all. The construction
\nstopped at the border of Gunung Leuser protected forest and
\nnational park. Today, however, the road has been extended," said
\nDenny Purba of the Leuser Management Unit.<\/p>\n
The prevailing laws and regulations set strict requirements
\nfor the construction of a road in any protected area. This road,
\ntherefore, is said to have been illegally constructed.<\/p>\n
It is feared it will speed up destruction of the forest
\necosystem and encourage illegal logging. That damage done by the
\nillegal road construction and illegal logging was evident when we
\nentered the protected forest area from Kutarakyat.<\/p>\n
The moment we entered the area, we saw here and there traces
\nof illegal logging and forest burning. Surprisingly, in some
\nparts of the side of the road, there are green notice boards
\nreading "Forest Supervisor of Regreening Project of the Legion of
\nVeterans of the Republic of Indonesia (LVRI) Karo Chapter."<\/p>\n
These notice boards seem to indicate ownership of the areas
\nconcerned, therefore barring just anybody from entering the
\nproperty.<\/p>\n
The same notice boards carrying the name of LVRI (Indonesian
\nVeterans Association) are also found in Gunung Leuser National
\nPark.<\/p>\n
"These boards are only a trick. Is it logical to regreen this
\ngreen foliage? So, they have actually divided this forest area
\ninto lots for their own businesses," said Panjaitan.<\/p>\n
Illegal logging that causes damage to the forest ecosystem has
\nbeen committed not only by government departments and security
\nforces but also, on a smaller scale, by the locals. Along the
\nroad we saw individuals carrying out illegal logging while in the
\nborder of Tanah Karo and Langkat, which is also the border of the
\nprotected forest and Gunung Leuser National Park, a number of
\nbird poachers were calmly doing their job.<\/p>\n
Nearby a board warning against entering the national park was
\nsimply staring uselessly at them. These bird catchers, just like
\nthe illegal loggers and their government backers, ignore all laws
\nand regulations.<\/p>\n
It is easy to imagine that once the Tanah Karo-Langkat through
\nroad is completed, more damage will be done to the Gunung Leuser
\necosystem. When this happens, it signals the destruction of a
\nforest area and our environmental ecosystem.<\/p>\n
The construction of a through road cutting through Gunung
\nLeuser National Park in North Sumatra is just one example of the
\nconflict of interest between economic development and
\nenvironmental conservation.<\/p>\n
The same case has been identified in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
\nand similar cases may continue to be found there. The local
\nadministration is greatly ambitious to realize its Ladia Galaska
\nproject after it was suspended for a few years. Today, under
\ngovernor Abdullah Puteh, this mega project is to be resumed. The
\ncentral government is reportedly ready to extend funds to finance
\nthe project.<\/p>\n
Signs that the project will resume are easy to find, such as
\nin the part of the through road connecting Lawe Palam in South-
\nEast Aceh and Bohorok in North Sumatra. When The Jakarta Post
\nwent along this 36-km segment of the road, several large trees or
\nslabs of stone were marked to indicate that road segments would
\nbe constructed there.<\/p>\n
At present the road is only a steep narrow trail that Lawe
\nPakam residents usually take to get into the forest. As we
\nentered the protected forest area in Kampung Bhakti, we no longer
\nsaw marked trees up to the border of the protected forest and
\nGunung Leuser National Park.<\/p>\n
It was a surprise that when we arrived at the monument marking
\nthe border of Gunung Leuser National Park, we found the forest
\narea in this national park already turned into local residents'
\nplantations. The border monument was accompanied by tomato, chili
\nand violet eggplant plants.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, near this border monument, there is a thatched
\nwooden hut belonging to a couple from Luwe Pakam.<\/p>\n
"We have been here for three years and we clear the forest. We
\nhave felled large trees and in their place we grow macadamia nuts
\nand coffee plants. These plants do not belong to us; they belong
\nto a police officer. We work for him," said Syafrudin, who also
\ntaps palm sap.<\/p>\n
"You won't get angry with us for staying here, will you?"
\nasked Syafrudin's wife innocently. They did not know that there
\nwas a regulation prohibiting anybody from entering the national
\npark, let alone staying there.<\/p>\n
Syafrudin said he was only a farm laborer as the land was
\nowned by someone else. He works on a production-sharing basis.<\/p>\n
"The field down there has become narrower so when we were
\noffered to till this forest land, we took it. A few years ago,
\nthere were still a lot of tigers in this area. We are sure if we
\ndo not disturb them, the tigers will not attack us," said
\nSyafruddin, who gets down every week to the residential area in
\nLuwe Pakam, an area he can reach after two hours' walk.<\/p>\n
Not far from this hut, there will be a through road that
\ntravels along the river. When completed, this road, which cuts
\nthrough the protected area and the national park, facilitates
\npeople accessing this area.<\/p>\n
Perhaps they are not only common people like Syafrudin but
\ncapitalists backed up by powerful people. The forests of Gunung
\nLeuser are rich in flora and fauna, an area alluring to those
\nobsessed only with amassing wealth.<\/p>\n
It is easy to imagine, therefore, the extent of the damage
\nthat the forest area and the national park will sustain later.
\nThe construction of Ladia Galaska road under various pretexts may
\nbe construed as an attempt ahead of others towards destruction.
\nThe destruction of the area spells the doom of our environmental
\necosystem.<\/p>",
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