Timber theft rises in growing crisis

Timber theft rises in growing crisis

JAKARTA (JP): Timber theft and looting of forests owned by
state firms in Java rose significantly last year as the country's
economic crisis worsened, according to state forestry firm Perum
Perhutani.

Perhutani president A. Fattah DS said in Bojonegoro, East
Java, on Tuesday that the amount of timber stolen in Central Java
alone was over 888,000 logs during 1998, compared to 124,000 logs
in 1997.

In East Java, timber theft accounted for 192,000 logs in 1998,
up from 68,000 logs in 1997.

"The estimated financial loss caused by timber theft and
looting in Central Java during 1998 reached over Rp 18.7 billion
while in East Java, the loss could exceed Rp 3.89 billion," he
said during a visit to Perhutani forests.

In 1997, the loss from timber theft and looting was Rp 1.46
billion in Central Java and Rp 1.11 billion in East Java.

Fattah said that the loss was calculated by taking into
account the volume of the logs which had been looted. The figure
excluded any loss resulting from damage to the forests or the
burning of sawmill facilities.

"Since the middle of 1998, there has been rampant looting in
Perhutani's areas. The looters attacked the forests in groups of
between 50 and 400 people. In past years, the groups were only
between five and 10 people," Fattah said.

"Looters have taken hundreds of thousands of metric tons of
logs and other items as well as destroying Perhutani's facilities
such as vehicles, processing plants and even employees' houses.
They even took Perhutani personnel hostage, hurt them and even
killed them."

Perhutani's security personnel were usually outnumbered by the
looters, he said.

The country is facing the worst economic crisis in its
history. The number of people living in poverty has soared, and
cases of theft and looting have become very common in certain
parts of the country.

Fattah said the looters, mostly people from villages
neighboring Perhutani areas, plundered the company's forests
because they considered the firm to have contributed nothing to
the improvement of local welfare.

"In fact we spend more than Rp 221 billion every year to
improve the welfare of people live near Perhutani areas," he
said.

Fattah said he thought the mass timber theft might be
organized.

"Whoever is behind the looting has successfully provoked
people from nearby villages to attack the forests," he said.

Fattah warned that if timber looting continues in Java, it
will result in droughts and also cause flooding, as the forests,
which function as a water catchment, are being depleted.

"Forest areas in Java currently account for only 22 percent of
the island's total area. The ideal coverage would be 30 percent
of the land," he said.

To stop the looting, Fattah urged companies in the timber
industry not to buy illegally felled trees from timber brokers.
(gis)