Illegal loggers turn to ecotourism

Illegal loggers turn to ecotourism

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

For a great many years, illegal logging became the main source of
livelihood for people in the vicinity of Tangkahan forest in Namo
Sialang and Sungai Serdang, North Sumatra. So lucrative was the
illicit business that they abandoned their less productive
farmland.

But the stricter security measures taken by local security
forces became an effective deterrent. The people have looked to
other ways of living on forest products that are both legal and
sustainable.

They returned to their long-abandoned farms and accepted the
idea of promoting ecotourism in their area.

Both village communities, comprising around 2,000 families,
agreed to turn Tangkahan into an environmentally oriented tourist
destination.

Initiated by leading wood "looters" from the two communities,
the villagers agreed to the establishment of Tangkahan Tourism
Institute (LPT). The organization acted as the manager of the
forest area in cooperation with Mount Leuser National Park
management in April 2001.

Administratively, Tangkahan is located in Namo Sialang
village, Batang Serangan district, Langkat regency, bordering
Leuser National Park. The Tangkahan zone relies mainly on its
17,375-hectare, stunning tropical forest.

Tangkahan's combination of vegetation and topography makes it
a marvelous tourist spot rarely found elsewhere. The Batang
Serangan and Buluh rivers, converging exactly in this zone, are
typical of rainforest streams, with diverse varieties of
vegetation and colorful rocks on their banks. The clear, bluish
green river water against the panoramic view creates a mystical
atmosphere.

"We'll be protecting the beauty of Tangkahan from unscrupulous
people trying to steal its timber or contaminate the rivers,
because we hope local people's economy will improve through
proper management of this ecotourist destination," said LPT
chairman Njuhang Pinem.

Himself an ex-illegal logger, Pinem admitted the formation of
LPT was not a simple process. It was born out of the awareness of
poor communities coexisting with abundant natural resources. "As
part of Mount Leuser National Park, the Tangkahan forest had so
far become a great temptation to us poor people," he added.

Sugeng, another LPT executive, confirmed that Tangkahan used
to be the exit point for loot resulting from illegal logging in
the national park. As a former illegal logger, Sugeng argued: "We
had to do it solely due to economic pressure. But now everything
has changed."

Head of the office of Mont Leisure National Park Hart Lamert
Susetyo said that until two years ago, Tangkahan was a center of
illegal logging activity but now people were aware why they
should stop the illegal business.

"As part of efforts to stop the business, LPT and Mount Leuser
National Park management have security personnel guarding the
village gate," Susetyo said.

Tangkahan's ecotourism is managed by village communities.
Susetyo said through this direct management the zone was expected
to contribute concretely to local economic improvement, which
could eventually prevent environmentally destructive activities
as they began to feel that they owned and benefited from it.

"It's the first time that the National Park office has
entrusted local people with the management of the ecotourist zone
while conserving the biological diversity of the park's tropical
forest," Susetyo said.

The joint management has drawn up Tangkahan's development
plan, which includes the construction of a 1,500-hectare Gunung
Leuser National Park research center and a 10 hectare camp site.

Over the past two years, LPT has been training 53 local youths
to become forest rangers and tourist guides.

Tangkahan has 11 waterfalls, each with unique features. There
are also hot water springs, flower gardens, rafting streams, bat
caves and animal watering holes.