Campaign to
Stop Ladia Galaska and Save Gunung Leuser
from Illegal Logging
Bukit Lawang/Bohorok Flood
News
Online
Petition to Save Leuser
Article about Leuser, December
2002
More Information
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Original Letter*: 7 May 1999
Update: 6 July 1999
Update: 14 November 1999
Press Release from Dr. Carel van Schaik,
June 1999
Report
on Illegal Logging in Indonesia by EIA
Suggested reading regarding orangutans at Suaq Balimbing
Information
on Indonesian Wildlife and National Parks
European Union Forest Liaison
Bureau |
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ROAD PLAN THREATENS LEUSER ECOSYSTEM -- VOICE
YOUR OPPOSITION!
NGOs take Aceh government to court over Ladia Galaska
They had a brief hearing on 3 November 2003, with another
hearing planned for November 17th. Ladia Galaska has become a major
issue of concern in Indonesian national and Aceh provincial environmental
news since the Bohorok flood.
NOW is a crucial time to
write letters to the Indonesian officials who
are involved in the Ladia Galaska debate, including the Minister of
Settlements and Regional Infrastructure, the Minister of Environment,
the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, the
governor of Aceh and the president of Indonesia.
In light of the upcoming court
hearings, quick letters to the following people will have the most
impact:
Menteri Pemukiman dan Prasarana Wilayah
(Ministry of Settlements and Regional infrastructure)
Dr. Ir. Soenarno, Dipl. HE
Jl. Pattimura 20
Jakarta Selatan, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Facsimiles; +62 21 7260769, 31908287
Telephone: +62 21 7203962
E-mail: soenarno@kimpraswil.go.id
Menteri Lingkungan Hidup
(Ministry of Environment)
Nabiel Makarim, MA. MSM
Jl. D.I. Panjaitan, Kebon Nanas, Jakarta Timur
Jakarta, Indonesia
Telephone: +62 21 8580102
Facsimile: +62 21 8580101
Menteri Koordinator Politik dan keamanan
(Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs)
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 15
Jakarta 10110 Indonesia
Telephone: +62 21 3500876, 2848453
Facsimiles: +62 21 3506569, 34509183
E-mail: polkam@polkam.co.id
Her Excellency Megawati Soekarnoputri
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Istana Negara, Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara,
Jakarta, Indonesia
Mr. Abdullah Puteh Governor
Province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
Jl. Nyak Arief, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Fax: + 62-651-51091
Other Indonesian officials:
Mr. Amien Rais
Chairman Council of Peoples' Assembly (MPR-RI)
Jl. Jendral Gatot Soebroto No.6,
Senayan, Jakarta 10270, Indonesia
e-mail: PAN@Amanat.org
Mr. Akbar Tanjung
Chairman House of Representatives (DPR-RI)
Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto No. 6,
Senayan Jakarta
Fax: +62-21-5706057 E-mail: Akbartanjung@dpr.go.id
Dr. Dorodjatun
Co-ordinating Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry
Mr. Soenarno
Minister of Settlements and Regional Infrastructure
Jl. Pattimura 20,
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta, Indonesia
Fax: +62-21-7260769 E-mail: sekjen@kimpraswil.go.id
Mr. Nabiel Makarim, MA, M SM
State Minister for the Environment
Gedung B. Kav. 24, Jl. D.I. Panjaitan,
Jakarta, Indonesia
Fax: +62-21-8580087 / +62-218580081 E-mail:
thm@menlh.go.id
Dr. Ir. M. Prakosa, Ph.D.
Minister of Forestry
Department of Forestry
Gedung Manggala Wanabakti Blok I,
Lt. 4 Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto,
Senayan, Jakarta 10270, Indonesia
Fax: +62-21-5700226 E-mail: Pusdata@dephut.cbn.net.id
Drs. Kwik Kian Gie
State Minister for National Development Planning, and Head of the
Board of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS)
Jl. Taman Suropati No. 2,
Jakarta 10310, Indonesia
Fax: +62-21 -314 5374 E-mail:
admin@bappenas.go.id
His Excellency Ambassador Alexious G Choistopoulus
President of European Union in Indonesia
Embassy of Greece Plaza 89,
Lt 12 Jl. Rasuna Said Kav. X / 7 / 6 Kuningan Jakarta 125950 Indonesia
Fax.: +62-21-5207753 E-mail: gremb@cbn.net.id
A letter to them might look something like this:
Dear Governor/Minister/Ambassador,
I implore you to reject the proposed Ladia Galaska
road network and similar road-building plans in the Leuser Ecosystem.
Reconstruction and sustainable development in Aceh
are important goals. However, the Ladia Galaska and similar projects
are not necessary for peace. The proposed roads could eventually lead
to the destruction of all high biodiversity areas in the Leuser Ecosystem,
one of the most important conservation areas on Earth. The environmental
havoc they cause could trigger even more unrest in Aceh from deadly
floods and other results of deforestation.
Current roads through Leuser have already led to
uncontrolled logging, triggering floods that, in turn, have caused
major destruction of public infrastructure and loss of lives. Roads
built with USAID funds in 1982 split the Gunung Leuser National Park
in two, leading to illegal settlements inside the National Park, as
well as an ever expanding wave of encroachment, illegal logging and
poaching of endangered species. The latest proposal has ignored legal
requirements for environmental impact assessment. The plan will also
violate several Indonesian regulations, such as Act No. 5/1994, ratifying
the International Convention on Biodiversity, and Act No. 5/1990 on
the Conservation of Natural Resources and their Ecosystem.
Much of Leuser has already been pillaged by illegal
loggers, leading to flooding and wildlife problems for the people
who live in the greater Leuser ecosystem. Many have suggested that
illegal logging in Leuser contributed to the recent deadly flood
in Bohorok. New road building through this supposedly protected area
will only make the problem worse. Please find other, more sustainable
alternatives for development in Aceh, and reject the Ladia Galaska
and similar road networks.
Sincerely,
Your Name
You may also wish to go straight to the top,
and send something like this letter (based on a letter written
by BirdLife International - Indonesia, Conservation International
- Indonesia Fauna & Flora International - IP, International Marinelife
Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, The Tiger Foundation, Wetlands International
- IP, Wildlife Conservation Society - IP and WWF Indonesia):
Honourable/Her Excellency (Mrs.) Megawati Soekarnoputri
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Office of the President
Istana Negara, Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara, Jakarta, Indonesia
Your Excellency,
Given your strong concern for environment as stated in
the Bali WSSD PrepCom and Johannesburg, and for the welfare of people
of Aceh, I would like to bring to your attention some concerns regarding
several proposed new roads including one network called Ladia Galaska.
The beautiful forests and rivers of Aceh are a symbol
of prosperity and hope for the future of the people of Aceh. Infrastructure
development is an important component in the development for the people
of Aceh. However, if these proposed roads move forward as currently
planned, the Government of Indonesia may lose the opportunity to pursue
more favorable economic development options for the region and its
people. The current plans face significant legal, economic, environmental,
and social welfare issues.
A study by Cesar and van Beukering (2001) has shown that
economic benefits derived from the Leuser Ecosystem will provide US$
5.8 billion more value than the economic benefits from the road construction
and associated forestry and agriculture development activities. Badly
designed and constructed road networks have contributed to severe
flooding like the recent Bohorok tragedy, resulting in major economic
damage and community losses. Additionally, if road networks are not
properly sited, the potential for maximizing and spreading the benefits
is lost. More evaluation is needed to ensure that road development
is the best option for the people and environment of Aceh.
It is also important to note that all relevant policies
and regulations to protect the peoples' interests and the environment
have not yet been fully followed. For example, not every road plan
has undergone the AMDAL process. In addition, some of these proposed
roads pass through protected forest and protected areas, without yet
having consulted with relevant authorities such as the Parliament
and civil societies. This may create problems and delays in future
implementation of the plan.
Given this important and sensitive situation in NAD, I
strongly recommend that the Office of the President withhold approval
for these road development plans until alternative scenarios are devised.
Promoting a truly viable economic alternative will not only improve
the welfare of the people of NAD, but also generate greater international
support for further economic development.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Yarrow Robertson has recommended the below model
as the best approach to influence the President of Indonesia:
To: Her Excellency President Megawati Soekarnoputri
Office of the President of the Republic of Indonesia
Istana Negara
Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara
Jakarta Indonesia
Your Excellency,
We would like to express our support to you for
your strong commitment to protecting the environment as stated during
the World Summit on Sustainable Development PrepCom held in Bali,
and also for your commitment to help find a peaceful resolution for
the war-stricken area of Aceh. Your willingness to encourage outside
support to assist the reconstruction of Aceh after the signing of
the peace agreement will help bring much needed relief to the people
of Aceh who have been traumatised by the horrors that decades of war
brings.
We would also like to express our condolences to
you for the loss of innocent lives that have taken place over the
past year, including also the many lost as a result of natural disasters.
We understand the great pain and hardship that destruction of infrastructure
by natural disasters brings, and the constraints on the budgets of
local governments already hit hard by the prolonged economic crisis.
We sincerely hope that through your guidance and
resolve to do what is best for the people of Indonesia, your great
country will be able to overcome this economic crisis quickly, by
winning the fight for good governance that will help bring back investor
confidence. We pray for you that this will stimulate the recovery
of the tourism sector, which will help to support the diverse local
cultures, and help conserve the outstanding natural beauty and rich
biodiversity of Indonesia, through bringing in much needed revenues
to local communities.
We also express our sympathies for the people killed
by the floodsin Sumatra Utara in early November 2003, following
those in western Aceh in late November 2002 when tens of thousands
of people who had to evacuate their homes as a result. The damage
to public infrastructure in just one of these regencies, Aceh Barat
Daya, was calculated as Rp. 105.7 trillion (US $ 11.75 million). The
destruction here of public bridges, roads and people's homes was clearly
caused by the degradation of the adjacent forests of the Leuser Ecosystem,
facilitated by logging roads. Unfortunately, this tragedy has been
repeated many times around Leuser.
Of the thirteen major river systems in Leuser, the
water-catchment area for just one of them, the River Alas / Simpang
Kiri, has been calculated to receive an annual rainfall of 20 billion
cubic meters of water. If this volume of water was put in an area
as tall as your Excellency and as wide as your outstretched arms,
it could go around the circumference of the earth more than 100 times
every year - a truly awesome force flowing down from Leuser's many
3,000 m high mountains. Normally the forests soak this up like a sponge
and release out a far lesser amount gradually in a dampened manner.
Degradation of the forests of Leuser, however, will result in this
enormous volume flooding down in great torrents, causing destruction
below. Thus, the degradation of Leuser's forests as a result of roads
opening them up will result in further tragedies.
We understand that local communities in Aceh Barat
Daya, and in many other locations around the Leuser Ecosystem, have
already made many complaints to their local governments that degradation
of their forests only enriches a few local corrupt individuals, but
sentences local communities to the twin disasters of floods and drought.
Accordingly, we find it hard to believe that someone
as committed to helping the people of Indonesia as Your Excellency
clearly is, would allow the approval of a whole series of roads cutting
through the Leuser Ecosystem, called Ladia Galaska. It seems to us
that, as many examples from the Leuser Ecosystem already show, these
road proposals will only increase the misery and hardship of the people
that you and we together hope can live better lives. If these roads
mainly enrich a few contractors and logging tycoons, the scarce resources
for the many other more important investments in Aceh will have been
wasted.
So it is with our deepest respect for your ability
to weigh up the long-term benefits to your people, in particular,
of maintaining the function of the Leuser Ecosystem as a life-support
system for the welfare of the surrounding local communities, that
we humbly request you declare all roads that open up Leuser to be
cancelled, and investigate alternative proposals, including alternative
road schemes not through protection forests, that will allow the development
of Aceh on a sustainable basis.
We would also like to commend the government of
Indonesia for the issuance of the Presidential Instruction No. 5 /
2001 for the prevention of illegal logging inside the Leuser Ecosystem,
and hope that all efforts are maintained to ensure the laws are properly
enforced, so the pure waters from Leuser can flow regularly down to
help enrich the agricultural and fisheries sectors of local communities
downstream. In particular, we understand that 14 new roads have recently
been opened up illegally inside the Mount Leuser National Park in
South-east Aceh, and are being used by illegal loggers. We hope you
will be able to issue an instruction to stop this to prevent more
innocent people being killed in South-east Aceh as a result of the
tragic effects of floods.
In your mission to create the conditions for the
future prosperity of Indonesia, we acknowledge with the greatest admiration
the great strides of progress taken to democracy in such an historically
short space of time, and hope Indonesia's economy can recover fully
as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely.
We, the undersigned:
This would be especially nice as a paper petition.
Copy it, print it up, add some blank signature pages, and take it
to any meetings you might attend. Then send the originals to President
Megawati, with copies to SKEPHI, Komplek Llga Mas Blok E-1 No.
3, Jakarta 12760 Indonesia (phone/fax +62-21-7981766).
Recent news from the UK is that their Indonesian
Ambassador received numerous letters, sympathized with the concerns
expressed therein, and forewarded them to the Governor of Aceh and
the government in Jakarta. This is an excellent way to apply pressure
on the key decision-makers. Please write to the Indonesian Ambassador
in your home country!
The following is a sample letter to send immediately
via email, fax or regular post. Please adapt and send it to your Senator,
Representative, Ambassador, or other influential person.
Re: URGENT
ACTION REQUIRED TO AVERT ECOLOGICAL DISASTER IN SUMATRA
Dear Senator (or Representative, etc.)
________,
I am writing to ask your assistance in averting a
terrible ecological crisis. On December 3, 2002, the "Preparatory
meeting for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh" was held
in Tokyo. Peace in Aceh is an important goal. Unfortunately, one of
the proposals to be discussed is a major road network called 'Ladia
Galaska' that could eventually lead to the destruction of all high
biodiversity areas in the Leuser Ecosystem, one of the most important
conservation areas on Earth.
Current roads through Leuser have already led to
uncontrolled logging that has led to floods that, in turn, have caused
major destruction of public infrastructure and loss of lives. USAID
was the first donor agency to fund roads through Leuser in 1982 that
split the Mount Leuser National Park in two, leading to uncontrolled
illegal settlements inside the National Park, as well as an ever expanding
wave of encroachment, illegal logging and poaching of endangered species.
The latest proposal has ignored legal requirements
for environmental impact assessment. Without pressure from donor countries
to support sustainable development in Aceh conditional upon preservation
of the Leuser Ecosystem, corrupt local governments in Aceh will substitute
their own state funds and push ahead with the road networks that will
destroy Leuser. For example, a Japanese agency (JBIC) funded a bridge
at Runding in Aceh Singkil in 2002 that leads straight into the Singkil
Swamp Wildlife Reserve. This will allow direct access for illegal
loggers to log the swamp forest that contains 46% of the bird species
of Sumatra and the largest single population of the Sumatran orang-utan.
An alliance of local NGO's in Indonesia has been
formed to campaign against the new road projects in Leuser. Since
it was a political decision to go ahead with the roads, powerful donor
nations like the US must express their concern that the Leuser Ecosystem
be protected. Donors must insist that no funds will be provided unless
the provincial and local governments in Aceh commit to stopping all
destruction and degradation of their natural forests, including the
Leuser Ecosystem. The meeting in Tokyo will be attended by at least
23 countries and co-sponsored by Japan, the USA and the World Bank.
I urge you to do whatever you can to make our concerns
about this issue known. Thank you for your time and good efforts on
conserving the world's remaining biodiversity treasures.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address
Click
here for emails, fax #s, phone #s and addresses of US Senators
and Representatives.
You may also want to send letters to
The Honorable Colin L. Powell
Secretary of State
Washington D.C. 20520
By facsimile: 202 736 7262
The Honorable John F. Turner
Assistant Secretary of State
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
By facsimile: 202 647-0217
The Honorable Ralph Boyce, Ambassador
United States Embassy, Jakarta
Jalan Medan Merdeka No. 5,
Jakarta 10110, Indonesia
By facsimile: 62-21-34359911
United States Agency for International Development,
Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan No 3,
Jakarta 10110, Indonesia
By facsimile: 62-21-34359926
Others have recommended focusing on influential
donors. For instance, you may contact these people at the World
Bank:
The Office of the President, World Bank
1818 H Street NW,
Washington, DC 20433
Attention: James D. Wolfensohn, President
By facsimile: 202-522-3031
World Bank Natural Resource Management,
Environment Department
1818 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20433
Attention: Kristalina Georgieva, Director
By facsimile: 202-522-1142
World Bank, Indonesia
World Bank Office,
Jakarta Stock Exchange Building, Tower 2, 12th Floor,
Jalan Jenderal Sudirman Kav. 52-53,
Jakarta 12190, Indonesia
Att: Andrew Steer, Country Director
Jessica Poppele, Country Program Coordinator
By facsimile: 62-21-52993111
A letter to them could look like this (adapted from letters by
Kala Mulqueeny et al.):
Dear Mr. James D. Wolfensohn:
URGENT:
Ladia Galaska road network, Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
I applaud the World Bank’s
statement issued in 2002 that it will not support any road proposals
that could potentially lead to destruction of the Leuser Ecosystem. I also applaud the World Bank’s efforts to
contribute to peace, and to support the rehabilitation of Aceh and
help people who have been repressed and traumatized by civil conflict
for decades.
The Leuser Ecosystem, located
in Sumatra, Indonesia, one of the most important conservation areas
on earth, is now threatened with destruction. As the World Bank would
be aware, the provincial government of Aceh, supported by local governments
around the Leuser Ecosystem, is pushing ahead with major road networks,
including one called Ladia Galaska,
that will eventually lead to the destruction of all high biodiversity
areas in the Leuser Ecosystem. It will also lead to the impoverishment
of local people surrounding the Leuser Ecosystem. Similar roads in
the past have led to uncontrolled logging that led to floods that,
in turn, have caused major destruction of public infrastructure and
loss of lives.
After a meeting
in Jakarta on 26th November 2002, the provincial government of Aceh
received approval from the ministers of the central government, against
the advice of concerned NGO's, to go ahead with the controversial
road development plans. Like local NGOs, I am concerned that unless
funding for the rehabilitation of Aceh by the World Bank and other
donor agencies is made conditional upon there being no destruction
of the Leuser Ecosystem, local governments in Aceh will substitute
their own state funds and push ahead with the road networks that will
destroy the Leuser Ecosystem. Local
NGOs have called upon the President of Indonesia to intervene to stop
the road project.
I urge the World Bank to lead
donor agencies to prevent the destruction of the Leuser Ecosystem
that will result from opening it up with these road networks.
Specifically, the World Bank should:
i.
not support infrastructure projects that are likely to lead to deforestation
or other degradation of the Leuser Ecosystem;
ii.
ensure that the donor group on the rehabilitation of Aceh receives a prior commitment from the provincial government
of Aceh and all related local regency governments, that they will
not substitute any of their provincial
or regency budget resources for projects that are likely to lead to
degradation of the Leuser Ecosystem;
and
iii.
make any commitment to Aceh conditional on a prior commitment of the provincial
government and all related local governments to strive to conserve
the Leuser Ecosystem, including a commitment to eliminate all illegal
logging.
If these three conditions are
satisfied, and the government of Aceh commits to good management of
its natural resources, then we fully support the involvement of the
World Bank and other donor agencies to assist the reconstruction of
the war-stricken Aceh, and to help find alternative solutions to develop
Aceh in a sustainable manner. We hope you will give this top priority
to help ensure the success of the new peace agreement and alleviate
the suffering of the Acehnese people over the last 26 years.
Thank you for your
attention to these urgent matters,
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address
If possible, please put a cc to the President of Indonesia
and the Governor of Aceh. A photo-copy of your letter can also be
sent to either Yayasan Leuser International, Jalan Dr Mansyur 68,
Medan, North Sumatra 20154, Indonesia (e-mail: Leuser3@attglobal.net
), Fax No. +62-61-8216808, or SKEPHI, Kompleks Liga Mas Indah.
Blok E-I/3, Duren Tiga, Pancoran, Jakarta 12760, or Conservation International-Indonesia,
Jalan Taman Margasatwa 61, Jakarta 12540, Indonesia, Fax. +62-21-7800265.
Below is a brief letter-to-the-editor
style note:
Tropical biodiversity and endangered species are
under siege once again.
On December 3, 2002, the "Preparatory meeting for
the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Aceh" will begin in Tokyo.
The meeting will be attended by at least 23 countries and is co-sponsored
by Japan, the USA and the World Bank. While peace in Aceh is an important
goal, one of the proposals to be discussed is a major road network
that could eventually lead to the destruction of all high biodiversity
areas in the Leuser Ecosystem, one of the most important conservation
areas on Earth.
Endangered Sumatran rhinos, tigers and orangutans
are threatened by this road, and the inevitable encroachment of illegal
logging and settlements that will follow. Current roads through
Leuser have already led to uncontrolled logging, triggering floods
that, in turn, have caused major destruction of public infrastructure
and loss of lives. To find out more about this latest threat
to wildlife and local people, and what you can do to help stop it,
see http://www.duke.edu/~mym1/suaqroad.htm.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your City, State
I've posted an article based on Yarrow Robertson's briefing
here. Please click
here to see a briefing on this project (in PDF format). Sections
5 and 6 are especially important for understanding the current crisis.
Note to media: Michelle Merrill has Hi8 video of orangutans
and illegal logging in Leuser Ecosystem that can be made available.
Please contact me via email (mym1@DELETETHISduke.edu)
or phone 831-234-0898.
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