North Sumatra losing mangroves

MEDAN, North Sumatra: More than 1,000 hectares of the 15,765 hectares of mangroves in the Langkat nature reserve have been lost because of illegal logging, a local official has said.

The provincial conservation office's chief, Amir Hamzah, said Monday the mangrove trees had been logged and sold to illegal, small businesses which made charcoal.

The Langkat regency administration declared the reserve a protected area in 1980 to maintain the local ecosystem.

But timber theft remains rife despite the administration's recent move to deploy more rangers and publicize the need to protect local forests, Antara reported.

The Langkat reserve contains the Langkat Timur and Karang Gading forests. (pan)