Illegal logging ruining Leuser National Park

Illegal logging ruining Leuser National Park

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

At least 50,000 hectares out of a total of 216,000 hectares of
forest in the Gunung Leuser National Park has been deforested
since 1980, sparking concern over an environmental disaster in
the area, a senior local government functionary said on Friday.

Illegal logging was to blamed for the rapid deforestation,
said Langkat regent Syamsul Arifin.

"The deforestation is getting worst, especially in Besitang
and Sei Lepan districts," said Syamsul.

The regent told a press conference that the illegal
logging had actually been reported to the Ministry of Forestry
for follow-up action. "The central government needs to take swift
action against the illegal loggers so that further environmental
damage can be avoided," said Syamsul.

The illegal logging involved high-level bureaucrats, security
personnel and businesspeople, making it difficult for the
government to stamp it out.

But, the government had to make a start otherwise the forest
would disappear, said Syamsul.

The executive director of the North Sumatra Forum for the
Environment (Walhi), John Purba, said the environmental damage in
the regency had been taking place for a long time but the
government had never done anything concrete to stop it.

The illegal loggers were "untouchable" as they were backed by
government officials and security personnel, said Purba.

"How can the logs be removed so easily from the jungle
without anyone seeing them? The illegal loggers are obviously
being backed by security personnel so that they can transport the
logs out of the jungle," said Purba.

A case in point was that of "Mr. A", a well-known operator in
the timber trade who was suspected of being involved in illegal
logging. He had never been arrested although various
organizations, including local NGOs, have furnished information
to the police that he was involved in illegal logging.

Purba said that if the illegal logging was not dealt with
quickly, it would lead to more natural disasters. The government
should learn from the Bahorok tragedy two years ago, which killed
more than 150 people. The flash flood in Bahorok happened because
of the felling of the forests in the upper reaches of the river,
said Purba.

The illegal logging has not only concerned Langkat regency
administration, but also other local governments nationwide as
illegal logging was rampant across the country. The government
launched a nationwide crackdown against the illegal loggers in
March of this year and thousands had been arrested since then.
Despite the large number of arrests, illegal logging was still
taking place, especially in remote areas.