Military, government, loggers 'destroying' forests

Military, government, loggers 'destroying' forests

A number of representatives of environmental organizations
recently investigated the construction of the Ladia Galaska
highway, which starts on the west coast of southern Aceh and
winds its way through Gayo and Alas before it ends on the east
coast facing the Straits of Malacca, in North Sumatra. The
Jakarta Post's Tarko Sudiarno joined the trip along the road that
cuts through the world famous Gunung Leuser National Park.

"It gives me a headache and causes my blood pressure to shoot
up," Johnson Panjaitan, secretary general of the Indonesian Legal
Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) said as he surveyed the
burnt out forest and scattered forest timber left behind by
illegal loggers tearing apart Gunung Leuser National Park, North
Sumatra.

"This situation calls for immediate advocacy and a lawsuit
against the regional administrations because they have openly
advocated the destruction of our forests," said Panjaitan, also
chairman of the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi).

Anybody, particularly those concerned with the environment,
would be appalled at the sight of the damage that human beings
have done to the protected forest areas in Bukit Barisan and in
Gunung Leuser National Park. That afternoon, when we went through
Tanah Karo, Langkat, North Sumatra, we found the two areas
already connected by a new road.

The 35-km-long through road, which cuts through the Gunung
Leuser protected forest and national park, was built in the 1980s
by the military, probably illegally.

"As far as we know, this road has been constructed without any
analysis on environmental impact (AMDAL) at all. The construction
stopped at the border of Gunung Leuser protected forest and
national park. Today, however, the road has been extended," said
Denny Purba of the Leuser Management Unit.

The prevailing laws and regulations set strict requirements
for the construction of a road in any protected area. This road,
therefore, is said to have been illegally constructed.

It is feared it will speed up destruction of the forest
ecosystem and encourage illegal logging. That damage done by the
illegal road construction and illegal logging was evident when we
entered the protected forest area from Kutarakyat.

The moment we entered the area, we saw here and there traces
of illegal logging and forest burning. Surprisingly, in some
parts of the side of the road, there are green notice boards
reading "Forest Supervisor of Regreening Project of the Legion of
Veterans of the Republic of Indonesia (LVRI) Karo Chapter."

These notice boards seem to indicate ownership of the areas
concerned, therefore barring just anybody from entering the
property.

The same notice boards carrying the name of LVRI (Indonesian
Veterans Association) are also found in Gunung Leuser National
Park.

"These boards are only a trick. Is it logical to regreen this
green foliage? So, they have actually divided this forest area
into lots for their own businesses," said Panjaitan.

Illegal logging that causes damage to the forest ecosystem has
been committed not only by government departments and security
forces but also, on a smaller scale, by the locals. Along the
road we saw individuals carrying out illegal logging while in the
border of Tanah Karo and Langkat, which is also the border of the
protected forest and Gunung Leuser National Park, a number of
bird poachers were calmly doing their job.

Nearby a board warning against entering the national park was
simply staring uselessly at them. These bird catchers, just like
the illegal loggers and their government backers, ignore all laws
and regulations.

It is easy to imagine that once the Tanah Karo-Langkat through
road is completed, more damage will be done to the Gunung Leuser
ecosystem. When this happens, it signals the destruction of a
forest area and our environmental ecosystem.

The construction of a through road cutting through Gunung
Leuser National Park in North Sumatra is just one example of the
conflict of interest between economic development and
environmental conservation.

The same case has been identified in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
and similar cases may continue to be found there. The local
administration is greatly ambitious to realize its Ladia Galaska
project after it was suspended for a few years. Today, under
governor Abdullah Puteh, this mega project is to be resumed. The
central government is reportedly ready to extend funds to finance
the project.

Signs that the project will resume are easy to find, such as
in the part of the through road connecting Lawe Palam in South-
East Aceh and Bohorok in North Sumatra. When The Jakarta Post
went along this 36-km segment of the road, several large trees or
slabs of stone were marked to indicate that road segments would
be constructed there.

At present the road is only a steep narrow trail that Lawe
Pakam residents usually take to get into the forest. As we
entered the protected forest area in Kampung Bhakti, we no longer
saw marked trees up to the border of the protected forest and
Gunung Leuser National Park.

It was a surprise that when we arrived at the monument marking
the border of Gunung Leuser National Park, we found the forest
area in this national park already turned into local residents'
plantations. The border monument was accompanied by tomato, chili
and violet eggplant plants.

Meanwhile, near this border monument, there is a thatched
wooden hut belonging to a couple from Luwe Pakam.

"We have been here for three years and we clear the forest. We
have felled large trees and in their place we grow macadamia nuts
and coffee plants. These plants do not belong to us; they belong
to a police officer. We work for him," said Syafrudin, who also
taps palm sap.

"You won't get angry with us for staying here, will you?"
asked Syafrudin's wife innocently. They did not know that there
was a regulation prohibiting anybody from entering the national
park, let alone staying there.

Syafrudin said he was only a farm laborer as the land was
owned by someone else. He works on a production-sharing basis.

"The field down there has become narrower so when we were
offered to till this forest land, we took it. A few years ago,
there were still a lot of tigers in this area. We are sure if we
do not disturb them, the tigers will not attack us," said
Syafruddin, who gets down every week to the residential area in
Luwe Pakam, an area he can reach after two hours' walk.

Not far from this hut, there will be a through road that
travels along the river. When completed, this road, which cuts
through the protected area and the national park, facilitates
people accessing this area.

Perhaps they are not only common people like Syafrudin but
capitalists backed up by powerful people. The forests of Gunung
Leuser are rich in flora and fauna, an area alluring to those
obsessed only with amassing wealth.

It is easy to imagine, therefore, the extent of the damage
that the forest area and the national park will sustain later.
The construction of Ladia Galaska road under various pretexts may
be construed as an attempt ahead of others towards destruction.
The destruction of the area spells the doom of our environmental
ecosystem.