Tanjung Puting National Park
Tanjung Puting National Park
From Tempo
The increased felling of trees in several of Indonesia's national parks, long the nation's proud assets, such as in Tanjung Puting National Park (TNTP), Gunung Leuser National Park (TNGL) and Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) is not only saddening but a serious cause for concern.
The latest victim of the plunder is TNTP, with its lush and easy-to-reach forest along the river and swamps.
As a nature lover and researcher, seventeen years ago I often visited TNTP, and found that trees had been felled by local residents only for their daily requirements. However, soon this changed into a lucrative business financed by those who took advantage of the negligence of government officials.
Due to weak supervision after the reform era had begun, I think the national park authorities or the local administration cannot do much. Actually the local residents around TNTP are aware that what they are doing is illegal and is tantamount to plunder, but they just want to express how annoyed they feel because of the unfair treatment they have received, especially regarding the forest concessionaires who made huge profits for years in and around Central Kalimantan, but did not contribute to local economic development.
The prosperity is only enjoyed by foreign investors, forestry officials and some businessmen in Jakarta, who have divided the lots (containing trees previously felled by the local residents using traditional methods), but now the local residents are accused of stealing.
The plunder started after the reform era began in early 1997. In a few years I have witnessed the rising prosperity of West and East Kotawaringin (Central Kalimantan) and the emergence of local businessmen suddenly becoming rich. In the middle of the country's economic crisis they managed to establish private enterprises, while realizing that if they did not carry out their current businesses, others with unclear purposes would.
I see a few alternatives to the handling of problems surrounding TNTP:
1. Leave it to local residents to decide whether they still want to continue felling the trees illegally (which will later cause floods and threaten their property and lives -- similar to the recent predicament in Nias).
2. Hand over the forest concession (whatever is left behind) to be managed by the local residents, as proof of government's commitment to economic improvement and local autonomy. This way the felling of trees will only occur in concession areas already belonging to the local residents, instead of in the TNTP area.
3. The government and NGOs (local as well as international) must have programs and a clear agenda to save TNTP, among others through long term plans to train local residents to professionally manage their plots and increase the output of agriculture, fishery and animal husbandry (including the pepper and coconut trees close to TNTP).
A security approach to TNTP's problems in the near future, I think, would be futile and costly and might create new collusion. Therefore the suggestion by the Regent of West Kotawaringin to acquire funds for security should be changed in favor of the long term program suggested above.
FACHRUDDIN MAJERIE MANGUNJAYA
Jakarta