West Sumatran forests in distress<\/p>\n
By Tantri Yuliandini<\/p>\n
PADANG, West Sumatra (JP): Driving through the countryside
\naround the provincial capital, there is no way you can miss the
\nnatural wealth endowed on this part of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
There is a sea of lush green forests spread out as far as the
\neye can see, rising and falling gently following the contours of
\nthe land, broken only by small villages and the winding country
\nroads.<\/p>\n
Just outside Padang, at the Dr. M. Hatta forest reserve, you
\ncan distinctly hear the calls of gibbons as they jump from one
\ntree to another.<\/p>\n
West Sumatra boasts a multitude of animal and plant species.
\nAn estimated 61 percent, or 2.6 million hectares, of the total
\narea of the province consists of forests -- some 975,926 hectares
\nof these are protected by law.<\/p>\n
The province is host to two national parks (Kerinci Seblat and
\nSiberut); five nature reserves (Rimbo Panti, Lembah Harau, Batang
\nPalupuh, Lembah Anai, and Beringin Sakti); 22 wildlife
\nsanctuaries; four parks (Rimbo Panti, Lembah Harau, Mega Mendung,
\nand Bukit Batu Patah); two game parks (Bukit Sidoali and Sipora
\nIsland); a forest reserve (Dr. M. Hatta); three marine parks
\n(Saibi Sarabua Bay, Pieh Island, and Pagai Island); and two
\nwildlife reserves (Panjang Island and Penyu Island).<\/p>\n
Unchecked logging<\/p>\n
But the "green carpet" is imperiled by unchecked illegal
\nlogging and uncontrolled land clearing activities, which have
\nbeen blamed for the loss of one million hectares of protected
\nforest, according to chief of the West Sumatra Agriculture and
\nForestry Office Johny Azwar.<\/p>\n
He says loggers steal at least two truckloads of logs a day.
\nThis, of course, is not as bad as what is happening in
\nKalimantan, where plundered logs no longer go by the truckload
\nbut by freighterload.<\/p>\n
He says the denuded land in West Sumatra could cause serious
\nflooding in two neighboring provinces, Riau and Jambi.<\/p>\n
West Sumatra serves as a water catchment area for the southern
\ncoastal areas of Sumatra island. The Batanghari River which flows
\nthrough Jambi, and also the Kuantan River and the Kampak River
\nwhich flow through Riau, all originate in West Sumatra.<\/p>\n
"The preservation of West Sumatran forests, therefore, is in
\nthe best interests of Jambi and Riau as well," Johny says.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that illegal logging is rampant in Sangir to
\nthe south of Solok district and Muaro Sakai in South Pesisir
\ndistrict, both bordering the Kerinci Seblat National Park; in the
\nSigontong and Sungai Aur forest reserves in Pasaman district; the
\nproduction forest in the 50 Kota district; and forests in Asam
\nPulau and Padang Pariaman districts.<\/p>\n
Illegal sawmills<\/p>\n
Chief of the West Sumatra Forestry Agency Zulkifli Mulsani
\nsays local people have only recently started to plunder the
\nprotected forest as demand from sawmills in the area increases.<\/p>\n
According to Zulkifli, only 57 of the 122 existing sawmills in
\nWest Sumatra have the necessary permits.<\/p>\n
Protected forest areas have become a target for illegal
\nloggers because of their high quality timber.<\/p>\n
Between April and May of this year, some 247 cubic meters of
\ntimber were confiscated from 16 trucks by forest rangers. During
\na raid last month, rangers seized 13 cubic meters of timber.<\/p>\n
"We were unable to raid them earlier because the funds only
\ncame in April, and in June we had to stop the operation again as
\nwe ran out of money," Zulkifli said.<\/p>\n
The stolen logs were sold in Medan, North Sumatra, for a
\nbetter price, he explained.<\/p>\n
Meranti (Dipterocarpus) timber could fetch up to Rp 2 million
\nper cubic meter there, while in West Sumatra it is worth only Rp
\n1 million, Zulkifli says.<\/p>\n
Efforts to close down illegal sawmills have so far come up
\nagainst a brick wall as shutting them down would mean many local
\npeople losing their jobs.<\/p>\n
The timber and timber products industries absorbed some 4,096
\nworkers in 1997, according to the West Sumatra Bureau of
\nStatistics.<\/p>\n
Logging is not the only menace to protected forests. Land
\nclearing is also a major threat.<\/p>\n
Chief of the West Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Unit
\nSuyatno Sukandar says that in the Solok district, more than 750
\nhectares of the 123,970 hectares of protected forest there has
\nbeen cleared by people who claim the land is their ancestral
\nproperty.<\/p>\n
They turned the land into farms or sold it for between Rp 1
\nmillion and Rp 1.5 million per hectare, he said.<\/p>\n
Suyatno said the people's claim is based on a law passed by
\nthe Dutch colonial government in 1935, which gave the people of
\nKanagarian Batang Barus a portion of the land.<\/p>\n
Kanagarian now comprises the villages of Kayu Jao, Kayu Aro,
\nand Selasih.<\/p>\n
In 1983, some of the land given by the Dutch government was
\nvoluntarily handed over to the Solok administration, which then
\nturned it into a wildlife sanctuary in 1999.<\/p>\n
"Misunderstandings occurred because of differences in the map
\nscale between the Dutch documents and the local
\nadministration's," Suyatno said.<\/p>\n
The village chiefs and the local administration have agreed to
\nstop their respective activities on the disputed land until a
\nfinal solution is reached.<\/p>\n
"But the locals keep pillaging the land," Suyatno says, adding
\nthat thus far the local administration has been reluctant to
\nresort to coercive action as the matter was more of a social
\nproblem than a criminal one.<\/p>\n
"Eventually we will have no choice but to take coercive action
\nif the villagers keep on violating the accord," he says.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/west-sumatran-forests-in-distress-1447893297",
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