Who really owns West Java forests?
Who really owns West Java forests?
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
Commission B of the West Java legislative Council, along with
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), is processing a long-
awaited bylaw on forest management and the distribution of forest
products.
The local administration's plan, however, has been opposed by
locals, who have not been included in forest management for
decades.
According to council records, the province has managed more
than 1.5 million hectares of forest located in various areas,
while 5 percent of the forest has traditionally belonged to
indigenous tribes.
Like other forests in Central and East Java, most of the West
Java forests has been controlled by state company PT Perhutani,
which is under the central government.
Provincial administrations and indigenous people's
participation in forest management have been denied.
Yudi Widhiana, a member of Commission B at the provincial
legislative council, said 80 percent of the West Java forests had
been controlled by PT Perhutani. The rest was controlled by the
state Natural Resources Conservation Agency and the people, Yudi
said.
Industrial and housing estates are believed to have
contributed to deforestation.
In West Java, 70 percent of the 770,000 hectares of forest
have been destroyed.
With the vast destruction of forest area, the question that
remains is if the indigenous people still own the forest.
"The local administration has never kept reliable records on
the forest. The forest's gradual disappearance has never been
accurately recorded or made public," said Yudi.
The indigenous people of West Java have started to demand
their right to manage the forest.
Representatives of indigenous people swarmed the provincial
legislature on Wednesday to protest the interference of the
legislature and NGOs in forest management.
Dressed all in black and wearing green headbands, locals
rallied passersby in front of the legislative building.
It was the first time in history that locals from various
areas of West Java marched to the legislature to protest the
alleged mismanagement of forests.
In a meeting with members of Commission B of the legislative
council, the indigenous people demanded their involvement in any
forest management decision-making. They said they did not trust
NGOs and legislators any longer.
"We no longer trust NGOs and legislators who always claim to
represent the public. They are all nonsense," Akbar Saputra, a
member of the indigenous delegate, said, while pounding the table
in the meeting room.
Akbar, who is a resident of Kampung Lebak Samene Tanjungsari,
Sumedang, burst into tears.
Other indigenous representatives from Kampung Naga
Tasikmalaya, Kampung Dukuh Banjar, Ciamis and Gunung Paok,
Sumedang, also attended the meeting.
They said that they had been gradually pushed out by
outsiders, who had created problems with their forest-related
policies.
A representative of Kampung Naga and Dukuh said that water had
become scarce in their villages following the destruction of
forests by outsiders.
A representative from Gunung Paok and Sumedang told those
gathered at the legislative council that he was arrested and
beaten by local policemen for reporting illegal logging in the
village.
"The police told me to pay Rp 5 million if I wanted to be
released. How could I afford that much money?" said the man. "I
won't do anything if I see anymore illegal logging in the
future."
Legislator Yudi said that the indigenous people were only
complaining about deforestation in their areas, which caused an
imbalance in the environment.
"Traditionally they have their own system of managing the
environment. Hopefully, the bylaw will help them with better
management of the forest," Yudi said.