Logging could wipe out Tesso Nilo, WWF warns
Logging could wipe out Tesso Nilo, WWF warns
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned on Tuesday that one
of Sumatra's rainforests could disappear within four years if
logging is not stopped.
A recent survey conducted by WWF scientists showed that the
1,800 square-kilometer Tesso Nilo forest in the province of Riau
harbors the world's highest level of lowland forest biodiversity,
with up to 218 plant species per 200 square meters.
But the conservation organization said heavy logging for
timber and pulp could produce "devastating effects on both plant
and animal life".
The forest is also home to a wide range of wild animals such
as elephants, tigers, gibbons and tapirs.
"This forest could be lost in less than four years if the
current rate of logging continues," the WWF said, in a press
statement obtained on Tuesday.
It said illegal logging involves communities, bureaucrats,
military personnel and global market interests, and persists
unchecked in Riau.
"The logging that threatens Tesso Nilo is part of a pattern
across Indonesia, where large financially troubled corporations,
often with foreign ownership, sell forests for a tiny fraction of
their true economic potential and without regard for their
biological value."
WWF Executive Director Agus Purnomo asked the government to
protect the world's richest forest and said his organization is
ready to facilitate all parties to play a role in preventing
damage to it.
"We urge the Indonesian government to act now and set aside
Tesso Nilo forest as a protected area for the good of future
generations," he said, as quoted in the press statement.
The forestry ministry and Riau Governor Saleh Djasit have
pledged to crack down on illegal logging.
"This heritage should be safeguarded. I welcome anyone to come
to Riau to learn to appreciate the rich local biodiversity. I am
prepared to support any party that is involved in coming up with
agreeable solutions," Djasit said.
The WWF, headquartered in Gland, Switzerland, also urged
consumer countries, particularly the G-8 group of industrialized
nations, to stop the international trade in illegal timber.
The organization's survey discovered that Tesso Nilo is much
higher than other humid, tropical lowland forests in 19 other
countries including Brazil, Cameroon and Peru.