Hundreds occupy mangrove forests

Hundreds occupy mangrove forests

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung

Hundreds of local residents have cut down mangrove forests in
2,800 hectares of coastal land in Sungai Burung, Seputih
subdistrict, Central Lampung regency, which belonged to
aquaculture firm PT Central Pertiwi Bahari (CPB).

At least 833 residents occupied the land and constructed their
own shrimp ponds there.

Johannes Kitono, the head of public relations at the company,
said on Wednesday that another group of residents had occupied
5,000 hectares of the company's land in Sungai Nibung, Gedong
Meneng subdistrict, Tulangbawang regency, some 100 kilometers
east of Sungai Burung. "They have established 12 settlements in
the area over the last two years. A total of more than 6,000
settlers are involved," Johannes said.

The squatters had built houses, and developed oil palm and
cassava plantations on the land.

The government has awarded concessions in Lampung province to
PT CPB extending to 22,721 hectares, some 3,500 hectares of which
has been used for the development of industrial shrimp ponds.

Kitono said that if the authorities failed to address the
illegal occupation problem, the company was worried that it could
ultimately threaten the existence of the industrial shrimp ponds.

"The squatters' shrimp ponds, which are not properly managed,
can spread disease to the shrimp ponds that are currently under
our management," he said.

The occupation and clearance of mangrove forests has also been
occurring on land managed by another aquaculture firm, PT
Dipasena Citra Dharmaja (DCD), in Sungai Sidang hamlet, Rawadjitu
district, Tulangbawang regency.

As in the case of the PT CPB concessions, local residents have
cleared forests in PT DCD's 3,000-hectare mangrove forest
concession. They have been squatting on the land for the last few
months and constructed their own shrimp ponds there. PT DCD has
concessions extending to some 14,600 hectares in Lampung
province.

A spokesperson for PT DCD, Agus Tito, said that the cutting
down of the mangrove forest could lead to erosion and threaten
the industrial shrimp ponds that had been developed by the
company.

"We demand that the security forces keep these people away
from our concessions," said Tito.

Separately, the head of Sungai Sidang hamlet, Renpil Rifa'i,
said that the mangrove forests in the area had been the property
of local residents for hundreds of years.

He said that nobody had the right to prohibit local people
from clearing the mangrove forests and building shrimp ponds.
"These are ancestral lands belonging to the hamlet. The residents
cannot be blamed for clearing of mangroves just because they want
to improve their living standards," he said.

He criticized PT DCD, which he accused of occupying 600
hectares belonging to local residents.

Ahmad Misdi, 40, a resident of Rawadjitu, said that he had
cleared an area of mangrove forest two years ago. He claimed that
he had done nothing wrong as the land was unoccupied at the time.

"The mangrove forest is not a protected forest so there is
nothing wrong with us cutting it down," he said.

Data provided by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment's
(Walhi) Lampung branch shows that 85 percent of a total of 160
hectares of mangrove forest in Lampung province has been
destroyed since 1998, when local residents began cutting down the
mangroves and occupying the land.

Some 12,000 hectares consist of protected areas along the
estuary of the Mesuji River in Tulangbawang regency.

"The destruction of the mangrove forests here is alarming, as
the area is supposed to be protected. The role played by this
area is important in preventing erosion on the east coast of
Tulangbawang regency," said Mukri Priatna, the executive director
of Walhi's Lampung branch.

In 1999, the area was still green as viewed from the air, but
now large parts of it are either barren or been converted into
shrimp ponds.

Walhi have called on both the aquaculture companies and local
residents to stop clearing the mangroves so as to avoid further
environmental degradation in the area.

According to Walhi data, Indonesia's mangrove forests cover
3.54 million hectares across the country, accounting for between
18 and 24 percent of the total 17.5 million hectares of mangrove
forest worldwide.