National park poachers nabbed

BOGOR: A type of African wood and certain types of ferns are two of the top targets for illegal poachers at the Mount Pangrango National Park, an official said on Thursday.

Head of the national park's conservation division, Memen Suparman, said that 94 African wood trees and 70 ferns had been poached since early this year.

"The tree poachers were caught red-handed trying to take the rare flora, most of which was more than 15 years of age, while the ferns we seized from a buyer in Caringin," Memen said.

He added that the wood was quite valuable material for specialty boxes, while the ferns were about to be exported to South Korea, where they are in demand.

Memen said the park poachers were local residents who live near the national park. -- JP