Bali's forests threatened by wood thefts and fires

By Putu Wirata

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Forests in three regencies in Bali -- Jembrana, Buleleng and Karangasem -- are losing more and more of their forests to illegal logging activities and fires.

Official statistics show that over the past few years, Bali has suffered a losses of Rp 385 billion in forest products due to the fires and wood thefts.

The figures show that during the period, authorities recorded 295 cases of wood theft. In addition, 1,074.65 hectares of forest were encroached upon and another 3,702 hectares burned.

What is more disheartening is that of the 295 reported cases, only 27 have been handled by authorities with only 14 of these taken to trial at the district courts.

The data was released by Bali Provincial Forestry Ministry office chief N. Yuliarsana at a local forestry official meeting in Denpasar on May 25.

Most affected is the West Bali National Park in Jembrana regency, home to the highly endangered white starling. Destruction of much of the park was attributed to major floods that hit the town of Negara. As many as 123 houses in Melaya subdistrict were inundated. Many of the houses were buried by mud resulting from erosion in the upper part of the park.

In Negara town, high water levels of the Jogading river destroyed more than 100 houses and at least one resident drowned.

"That was the biggest flood I have seen in my life. Mud resulting from landslides in the protected forest worsened the disaster," said Darma Santika Putra, a Negara resident who works at the Jembrana regional administration office.

The 41,000 hectare West Bali National Park is also home to deer and boars. For many decades, the park has served as a water catchment area.

Why the sudden big flood in 1998? Many agree with the Bali forestry ministry office: unchecked land denudation.

Official statistics have also noted that misappropriation of land has become a major problem. Jembrana forestry office, for example, has recorded that 2,000 hectares of forest have been converted into coffee, banana and cacao plantations.

More surprising is Jembrana Regent Ida Bagus Indugosa's recent revelation that 14 hectares of forest had become the personal property of provincial government officials.

The regent made the disclosure at a meeting with Jembrana legislative council members late last year. But he refused to name the officials.

According to The Jakarta Post's sources in Negara, theft of forest wood persists, despite the increasingly clamorous calls for clean governance. Teakwood is the thieves' favored target.

It is widely believed the thefts remain unchecked because they involve corrupt security personnel and forestry officials in charge of safeguarding the West Bali National Park.

A well-known incident suggesting the involvement of security and government officials in instances of wood theft occurred on Christmas eve, 1998, when villagers of Belimbingsari saw a lurching truck leave the forest.

The truck, which lacked a police identification number, was set on fire by the mob after it rammed into a group of people on their way back from a prayer meeting. The driver managed to escape. Police focused on the truck's torching and never investigated the allegedly stolen wood it carried.

"The police should have investigated the identity of the truck owner, the thief and the strongman behind the operation," said Wayan Rindha, chairman of the Bali fact finding commission on collusion, corruption and nepotism in Denpasar.

Rindha said official estimated losses of forestry products totaling Rp 385 billion were negligible compared to biodiversity losses in the area.

The Bali forestry ministry office has a classic excuse for the fire and theft hit dwindling forests. It says it has a very limited number of personnel to safeguard the forests. Bali has only 116 forest rangers, while the ideal number is 300.

An absence of forest rangers has encouraged thieves and their collaborators to be more daring. Suspicions that the rampant wood theft receives corrupt officials' backing is evident with the small number -- one estimate puts it at 5 percent -- of cases taken to court.

None of the political parties campaigning in Jembrana regency addressed the issue of forestry conservation on the tourist island, especially in the West Bali National Park.

"The parties do not want to touch on concrete problems in the region. Their orations were vague, such as that they cared about preserving the environment and building human resources," said a resident of Batuagung village, Negara.