Bali loses 1,000 ha of teak forest

Bali loses 1,000 ha of teak forest

DENPASAR, Bali: West Bali National Park has lost 1,000 hectares of teak forest due to illegal logging over the past three years, a local official said on Monday.

The precious teak is located in the 8,200 hectare production area, where trees may be harvested after they reach maturity, which is about 100 years for teak.

The wood theft also happened before 1998, albeit at a much slower rate.

"Of the 8,200 hectares earmarked as production forest, only 4,500 hectares are left. The rest has been denuded," said I Made Subadia, chief of the Bali provincial forestry office.

Subadia said that the teak in West Bali National Park was mostly planted between 1950 and 1965 and should have not been cut for another 60 years, Antara reported.

He said the illegal logging worsened in 1998 as a result of public euphoria following former president Soeharto's fall from power. Their new-found freedom misled people into thinking that they could do anything they wanted after 30 years of repression.

West Bali National Park covers an area of 19,000 hectares.