Money, guns destroy protected forest in Central Kalimantan
Money, guns destroy protected forest in Central Kalimantan
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Tanjung Puting, Central Kalimantan
Purnawarman, a forest ranger, has felt powerless in facing the
illegal loggers syndicate backed by unauthorized security
personnel, which has been operating in Tanjung Puting National
Park, Central Kalimantan, home to thousands of species of flora
and fauna.
He has tried many things to stop the illegal logging but
within four years, 50 percent of the 400,000-hectare protected
forest has been stripped bare, leaving the area barren, without
any intervention by relevant authorities.
"The illegal logging has been going on for four years. I have
complained about it and have reported that the syndicates have
involved security personnel, but so far, no measures have been
taken to curb it," he said to a group of journalists who, along
officials from the Ministry of Forestry, visited the national
park.
For example, Purnawarman said that in 2001, the forest ranger
office in Pembuang Hulu was raided by an unidentified mob who
protested the confiscation of the logs they had stolen from the
national park.
The local people did not help them because they were afraid of
being similarly terrorized.
Yayat, another forest ranger, and others shared the same view.
They said they could not do anything to halt the illegal logging,
because the illegal loggers were backed by timber tycoons and
security personnel.
"We're alone here and running short of facilities and
logistics," said Yayat, who has been serving the Park for over 20
years. "It's not strange that many forest rangers give in to the
temptation of looting the forest to survive."
The forest rangers' fear and powerlessness is a reflection of
the government's inability and failure to manage protected
forests across the country. The government has allowed the
development of a road dividing the Leuser National Park in Aceh,
and has allowed mining companies to operate in several natural
reserves and protected forests.
According to local administration officials, the unchecked
illegal logging in the protected forest is supported by timber
businessmen who harvest the logs and employ the soldiers to
protect them from forest rangers.
The forestry law carrying harsh sanctions against illegal
loggers is not enforced effectively because of the absence of
strong commitment.
Law No. 41/1999 on Forestry carries a 10-year jail sentence
and/or a fine of Rp 5 billion (US$555,000) for those who cut down
forests illegally and for those who back illegal logging
activities.
The government launched a special operation called Wanalaga
from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28 this year to crack down on illegal
logging, which involves the Ministry of Forestry, the National
Police and the Indonesian Military.
But analysts believe such an operation will not be effective
as in the remaining 11 months of the year, the illegal loggers
will continue their activities without any serious actions
against them.
The operation has so far detained four suspected perpetrators
and confiscated around 14,000 cubic meters of logs, which could,
according to one estimate, reach a value of Rp 2 billion.
But the confiscated logs are too small compared to the total
logs smuggled from the Park. The government has suffered over Rp
70 billion in annual revenues from the illegal logging in the
protected forest.
The irony is that those backing the illegal loggers, mostly
locals, are still untouchable.
Yayat went on to say such an operation would be effective if
the dozens of sawmills near the forest and the timber-related
firms in Java that received illegal logs from the park were
closed down.
Director General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation
I Made Subadia said the government was serious in fighting
illegal loggers through various programs, including active
measures to shut down the operations.
However, he admitted that there were difficulties for the
forest rangers in helping to eliminate the illegal logging
syndicates due to the constant fear of attacks.
"Therefore, such an operation to crack down on illegal logging
was required to give a kind of shock therapy to illegal loggers
and to encourage forest rangers to protect the Park," he said.
Besides, he said, the police would deploy more police officers
to help monitor the Park after the Wanalaga operation.