Locals want Halimun park expansion revised

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Residents living at the foot of Mt. Gunung Halimun want the central government to exclude their homes and land from the plan to expand the Gunung Halimun National Park here.

This demand was conveyed by dozens of residents representing the people of Lebak Banten, Sukabumi and Nanggung districts in Bogor, which are located near the national park, during a seminar on the ecosystem of the park on Tuesday.

The expansion plan, which was first broached in 2003, would increase the park from 40,000 hectares to 113,375 hectares.

According to data from the Bogor office of the Indonesia Institute for the Forest and Environment (RMI), there are currently 734,845 residents in the three districts.

According to the residents, state-owned timber enterprise Perhutani took over their land in 1976, forcing them to grow pine trees. When Perhutani failed to manage the industrial forest properly, the management of the national park claimed the area.

Sukanta of Cikadu village, Cibeber Lebak, Banten, said he wanted his land back. "We didn't do anything before because we thought we would be accused of subversion, because we were told that Perhutani was the government."

Elia, a resident of Nyungcung village, Nanggung district, said the park expansion plan would cost residents their livelihood.

RMI executive Imam Hanafi, who has mediated between residents and the national park management and the Bogor administration, expressed hope the government would return the land to the residents.