Saving Kerinci Seblat National Park

Saving Kerinci Seblat National Park

By Wiryono

SUNGAI PENUH, Jambi (JP): Kerinci Seblat National Park, better
known as TNKS (Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat), is the second
largest national park in Indonesia. It covers an area of more
than 1.3 million hectares in the heart of the Bukit Barisan
mountain range in nine regencies in four provinces, namely,
Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra and West Sumatra.

The centerpiece of the park is the active volcano, Kerinci
Mountain, the second highest peak in Indonesia. Surrounding it is
a wide range of habitats from lowland dipterocarp (tall hardwood)
forest to montane and alpine ecosystems.

The very high biodiversity of TNKS has been internationally
recognized and the park is designated as an ASEAN Heritage Site.
Several endangered big mammals, such as Sumatran tiger, Sumatran
rhinoceros, Asian elephant and clouded leopard live in the park.

The park is home to more than 4,000 species of plants,
including the world's largest (Raflesia arnoldi) and tallest
Amorphophallus titanium flowers.

The park also has a major hydrological function, since it is
the water catchment area for major watersheds in four provinces,
such as Batanghari river in Jambi, Batangsangir and Indrapura in
West Sumatra, Rawas and Rupit in South Sumatra, and Manjunto and
Ipuh in Bengkulu.

About 25 large and small rivers originate in this park. The
vegetation cover of the park is vital for river stream
regulation, flood prevention, erosion and landslide control. The
park is, therefore, essential for soil conservation. Due to its
vastness, the vegetation of the park is also important in
stabilizing the regional climate.

Threats

All the vital functions of the park are now in jeopardy.
Encroachment and illegal logging are rampant and have been
intensifying in the last two years. Poverty and lack of education
of local villagers contribute significantly to the problem.

With no skill other than farming, local people have little
choice but to clear the forest. There are more than 1.75 million
people living near or within the park. Weak law enforcement
aggravates the preservation problem.

Only about 100 forest rangers are available to control a
border that is 2,635 kilometers long. Limited in number and ill
equipped, the park rangers have little power to stop encroachment
and illegal logging, especially those backed by corrupt military
personnel. The lax law enforcement indicates that the regional
governments have little political incentive to protect the park.

Ironically, threats to the park integrity also are coming from
the regional governments. Currently, the Governor of Jambi has
proposed new road construction that will run across the park.

This road will improve access to several areas in Kerinci
regency, a large enclave inside the park. The government and
parliament of Kerinci support the proposal since the new road
would stimulate economic growth and increase regional income.

However, park management and environmental activists are
against this proposal because the new road would further fragment
the delicate habitat, a condition detrimental to wildlife
survival.

Besides, improved access to the park would lead to increased
illegal logging, poaching and encroachment.

Fortunately, the Ministry of Home Affairs has turned down the
new road proposal because the Indonesian Government has agreed
with the World Bank (WB) not to build new roads inside the park
during the implementation of the Kerinci Seblat Integrated
Conservation and Development Project (ICDP) funded by the WB
Global Environmental Facility.

Although new road construction will not proceed, the threat to
the park is still strong. There is a growing negative attitude
among regional government officials toward the park. They view
the park as a hindrance to regional economic development.

The regent of Kerinci has demanded a share of income from the
forest. As the era of regional autonomy approaches, their demands
that the park contribute to the regional income are growing.

If the park manager fails to respond to this demand wisely,
the fate of TNKS may follow that of Tanjung Puting National Park
in Kalimantan. It is now occupied by local villagers and part of
it has become plantation.

Possible solutions

To find an easy, quick solution to this complex problem is
impossible. To arrive at a win-win solution, the problem requires
long, intensive, genuine communication and hard work among all
concerned.

This problem is a part of the greater problem facing the
Indonesian government in the forest resource management. In the
last few decades, local people and local governments have not
been actively involved in the management of forest resources, and
have gained little economic benefit from forest industry.

It is understandable that they now demand greater access and
control of the forest resources. Sometimes, however, their
demands conflict with conservation efforts, as is in TNKS.

To arrive at an acceptable solution, the park manager, his
staff and environmental activists, must listen to the demands of
the local people and the local government.

They should show their understanding of local economic
problems and genuinely try to help solve them. Having shown their
genuine sympathy, they can explain the importance of TNKS for
conservation of soil, water climate and biodiversity.

Since poverty threatens the integrity of TNKS, the park office
and environmental activists need to help the local government to
alleviate those problems.

Such a project is actually being conducted in TNKS through
ICDP. One component of ICDP is village area development aimed at
improving the economic conditions of people living around the
park. The project gives funds directly to the villagers.

However, due to limited budget, not all villages get money,
and this situation may cause envy, which in turn may worsen
encroachment in the villages that do not receive funds.

Also, there seems to be a lack of communication between the
park manager and other government offices because appreciation of
ICDC is low. Therefore, improving communication is a key factor
in solving the problem.

Communication with the public should also include the mass
media in order to get support for TNKS conservation. Articles and
news in mass media are very effective for creating public
opinion. Negative opinions expressed in the mass media, usually
based on ignorance, about environmental values should be
countered with positive ones. The benefit of conservation to
mankind, especially those living near the park need to be
explained.

In the long term, environmental education should be added in
local curriculum content, from elementary school through high
school.

Meanwhile, the park manager needs support of law enforcement,
because, without strong law enforcement all conservation efforts
will be useless. He has to convince the regional army chiefs,
police chiefs, the regents and the governors in the four
provinces that it is to their best interest to maintain the
integrity of the park.

Environmental issues are a crucial issue. If the Government of
Indonesia is not serious in protecting the environment, it may
not benefit from loans and grants from international donors.
Worse situations could occur if international environmental
organizations campaign to boycott Indonesian products.

If the Indonesian Government is serious about conservation, it
might get debt reduction through a Debt for Nature Swap scheme.
This scheme enables a debtor country to repay debts by
instituting conservation efforts.

Several developing countries have been successful in reducing
their debt through this scheme. Even better, when Kyoto Protocol
takes into effect (probably in 2008), Indonesia could receive a
large amount of money by keeping the forests intact. As carbon
pollutants sink, forests reduce carbon dioxide pollution. As the
owner of the forests, Indonesia may request compensation to the
carbon dioxide polluting countries.

The park manager and environmental activists have to convince
local people and government that in the near future TNKS will not
only protect soil fertility, prevent flood, erosion and
landslides, and protect wildlife, but it will also bring money.

This can happen only if we maintain the integrity of TNKS.
This is not an easy task. It requires a long process of intensive
genuine communication and hard work among all concerned parties.
However hard it is, we must not give up. If we do, we will lose
TNKS, and we are bound for disaster.

The writer is a PhD in ecology currently teaching at the
school of forestry, Universitas Bengkulu, and a consultant of
Kerinci Seblat Integrated Conservation and Development Project.