Regional autonomy puts Irian forests in peril

Regional autonomy puts Irian forests in peril

Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Fresh fears that regional autonomy will put the environment in
danger have become more evident as regency administrations in
Irian Jaya have issued controversial bylaws, which have allowed
them to overexploit forests to boost revenue.

The increasing export of logs from Irian Jaya this year,
despite the infringement of the law, stood out as a good example.

Ivan Ismail, coordinator of the Papua Reform Monitoring
Institution (LPRP) said that millions of cubic meters of logs
have been shipped out of the province without any tight measures
from the central government.

"We see the law violated every day in Irian Jaya. The central
government has remained silent each time we have lodged protests
against the export of logs," he said at a media conference here
on Wednesday.

The joint decree issued by the minister of forestry and the
minister of trade and industry in Oct. 2000 banned the export of
logs.

According to Ivan, despite the ruling having taken effect,
many foreign ships have been sailing back and forth to transport
logs from every part of the island.

His organization found two ships flying the Panamanian flag
--MV Millenium Dragon and MV Huadi-- which left Sorong, a port
town to the west of the provincial capital on Dec. 16 to
transport a total of 20,000 metric tons of logs and has reported
the case to the central government but so far, no action has been
taken.

Ivan further accused the local administration of backing the
province's illegal logging trade.

"The joint decree has banned the export of logs. How can logs
leave the island unless the trade is backed by the local
administration? Many regents have joined the illegal logging
syndicate," he said.

He added that the government had not shown any seriousness in
tackling illegal logging but merely shown the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) that they had fulfilled the necessary
commitments to secure more loans.

Jhon Poly Menanti, chairman of the Communication Forum of
Papuan Generation lamented that the widespread practice of
illegal logging had not only destroyed the environment but also
affected the livelihoods of locals and the population of
protected flora and fauna in the province.

"Our forests have been plundered and looted. Yet, as the
proprietor of the land, we haven't received a single dollar.
Instead, illegal logging has adversely affected the livelihoods
of tribal people who earn their living from the forest and its
rich biodiversity," he said.

He cited Yapen island in Serui regency, which has been
deserted since it turned into a barren islet due to illegal
logging, which was backed up by local authorities.

Jhon concurred and said that illegal logging in the province
had become an entangled conspiracy between illegal loggers, the
local administrations and the central government.

"Our people couldn't possibly plunder the forest on such a
massive scale. The local government was behind this and was
backed up by Jakarta," Jhon accused.

Jhon asserted that the local people had customary laws that
entitled them to acquire shares or make a living from the forest.

Ivan added that in a tribal gathering next year the Papua
Custom Council would demand that forest concession companies
include local shares in their equity.

"By holding equity in the companies, local people can also be
a part of the decision making, which involves mapping out the
forest resources, while at the same time we can also benefit from
it," Ivan said.