Locals give up illegal logging as Berbak park suffers
Locals give up illegal logging as Berbak park suffers
Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post/Jambi
Illegal logging and forest fires have contributed to the
deforestation of around 50 percent of Berbak National Park.
While it is protected land, the 162,700 hectare park -- which
is located east of the provincial capital of Jambi, here -- has
been subject to widespread illegal logging since the reform era
began in 1998.
Timber traders from outside the area approached residents of
the 28 villages that buffer the forest and collaborated with
local brokers to persuade them to log.
Chain saws sounded day and night, as prized timber trees, such
as ramin, jelutung and meranti, toppled to the ground.
Hundreds of paths were made to transport the logs via the
river or rails. They started in the villages and made their way
deep into the heart of the forest, which had been named a
protected area by former president Soeharto on Oct. 19, 1992.
The loggers identified and removed the oldest trees, those
measuring around 60 centimeters in diameter and 20 meters tall.
Now, most trees in the park are 30 cms in diameter on average.
Also, the area that stretches along Berbak river is prone to
forest fires. An estimated 30,000 hectares of forested area has
been destroyed every dry season since 2001.
As a result, the ecosystem of the area has suffered. Numerous
species of flora and fauna have vanished, for example, the rare
orchids of the lowlands that relied on the trees; the arwana
fish, which can grow to 90 cms in length and 20 cms wide; and the
long-snouted sinyolong and muara crocodile species.
Sumatran tigers (Sumatrae Panthera Tigris), of which there
were between 50 to 70 in the area a few years ago, now number
around 30 or 40. As their habitat has been encroached upon, these
"kings of the jungle" have been forced to venture as far as the
villages in search of food. The tigers, which are proficient
swimmers, even reached villages located across Berbak river,
which is 300 meters wide in places.
Since 1998, five people have been killed in four tiger attacks
on humans in the area.
Executive director of non-governmental organization Pinang
Sebatang, Husni Thamrin, told The Jakarta Post recently that the
government should cooperate with locals to save their
environment.
"The residents should be involved, because they are the ones
who suffer the floods, which have occurred over the past five
years due to the damaged catchment area," he said.
So far, the government has been unwilling to accept the
participation of people living around forest areas in
conservation efforts.
"The people are only involved in growing seedlings, and not in
directly restoring the forest," said Husni on Saturday.
He said that if nearby residents were not involved, they would
likely retaliate by disrupting forest restoration activities.
One way to enlist local support would be to first improve the
standard of living in the villages. That way, offers of easy
money through illegal activity would not be so tempting, he said.
The organization is currently working to improve conditions in
seven of the villages around the national park: Sungai Aur,
Sungai Rambut, Air Hitam Laut, Sungai Benuh, Simpang Datuk,
Sungai Gelam II and Pematang Rawas.
Heads of families are grouped together to farm land, with each
group comprising 10 people.
The groups are provided with seedlings, such as rice, chili,
soybean and corn, which they cultivate on land that has been left
idle since 1998. Each family head generally owns a two to five-
hectare plot.
After suffering floods every year, the residents have finally
come to the realization that farming, which they once abandoned,
is a more fruitful and less damaging practice than logging.
The organization has also helped local residents plant ramin,
jelutung and meranti trees on a 30-hectare area within the
national park since 2003.
"Our achievements are just one step toward conservation, but
the people are willing. They feel that they own the forest and
have made efforts to preserve it," said Husni.