Governor lashes out at illegal logging

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jambi Governor Zulkiffli Nurdin has hit out at rife illegal logging in the Kerinci Seblat National Reserve, home to large numbers of rare species of flora and fauna.

"Many reports have reached me that almost every night, some 30 logging trucks transport logs out of the protected reserve," he said when opening a bridge project in Muaro Madrasah Village, Jangkat Regency, Jambi on Tuesday.

He called on the provincial police and local military to immediately take stern action to stop the logging.

The national reserve, covering 1.48 million hectares in Jambi, South Sumatra, Bengkulu and West Sumatra, contains millions of hectares of virgin rainforest, rare and protected species such as elephants, rhinoceros, tapirs, tigers, sun bears and clouded leopards.

Besides the wild animals and the beautiful scenery, which includes Lake Kerinci and Mount Kerinci, the park has many rare botanical species.

A number of international institutions and foundations have donated resources to help the government manage the reserve.

Zulkiffli reiterated that the four provinces had long agreed to enhance cooperation to preserve the park.

"The local forestry offices and security authorities in the four provinces must take strict action against all sides who are involved in the illegal logging," he said.

He warned that donor countries could stop their donations if the environmental deterioration at the park continued.

He called on security authorities to crack down on the mushrooming sawmills operating near the national park which were believed to process logs looted from the protected forest.

"The presence of sawmills near the national park is an indication that they get their raw materials from the park," he said.

The Jambi Provincial Police have confiscated hundreds of cubic meters of illegal logs from a number of sawmills while the owners have been arrested for further investigation.