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Update: 6 July 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 |
Update on Continued Illegal Logging at Suaq Balimbing
Although the intensity of the logging within the study area has been reduced, there is still some activity within the research area and heavier logging continues in surrounding portions of Gunung Leuser National Park. There are over 100 loggers working inside the study area, down from nearly 200 at the height of the crisis. Within the study area, there are 24 logging camps and 20 rails (wide trails with lubricated wooden crossbars for transporting logs). Some of these rails extend well over 1 km into the study area, and most have side branches. The sounds of chainsaws indicate that intensive logging activities persists in the surrounding area, well within park boundaries. When the logging was most intensive inside the research area, we lost many trees in two of the three most important food species for the orangutans. In the area along the river, all of the Neesia cf. aquatica were cut. The orangutans at Suaq regularly use tools to extract the nutritious seeds from the tough casing and irritating hairs of the Neesia fruits. The loss of the trees along the river and in one swamp area represents 1/2 to 2/3 of all the Neesia trees in the study area. In another area (in the southwest of the research area) many of the large Sandoricum beccarianum trees were cut, representing about 1/4 to 1/3 of these trees within the study area. Each of these is the major food eaten by orangutans during its fruiting season. As the individual orangutans in the study population have home ranges that extend well beyond the research area, the effect of losing trees outside the research area is equally alarming. Thanks in part to letters written by concerned outsiders, there was a series of meetings between those responsible for the logging and various authorities from 18-23 June. No arrests were made, but the authorities and the loggers reached an agreement. As part of the agreement, the loggers were allowed to take the timber from trees that had already been felled, but they were to stop cutting live trees, and their activities in the research area were to cease 29 June. The parties involved in the logging also made demands regarding provision of previously promised development assistance for the neighboring villages. The local development agencies and the Leuser Development Program agreed to maintain a dialogue about these issues. There are still many problems and concerns with this situation. The resolution of the crisis could be interpreted as a case of successful environmental extortion. Though the logging was in violation of existing laws, there were no punitive measures against the involved parties. Not only were they able to profit from their illegal activities, the conditions for them to cease these activities could be seen as rewarding them. It's a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease taken to a painful extreme, and it sets a very dangerous precedent. I fear that if other nearby communities feel that they are being neglected by the government and development agencies, they may choose to use the same tactics. The results for the forest and the population of orangutans it supports are potentially disastrous. It is important to recognize that this is not simply a case of poor local people using the only means available to them to put food on the table. There are clearly organized outsiders profiting from these illegal logging activities. The loggers have only mixed support among local village residents. To accelerate their illegal extraction of protected forest resources, the backers often employ people from distant areas. Most of the people still working in the study area are from villages over 75 km away. The activities of the loggers are not restricted to attempts to earn a living, as they have included deliberate theft and destruction of research equipment, theft of research camp supplies, and threats against Indonesian staff and student researchers. Though illegal logging within the research area has decreased, the chainsaws can still be heard. There is still illegal logging occurring within park boundaries. On 3 July, we discovered continuing activity in one area of the research site. The loggers here were using hand saws so that we couldn't hear their activities from other areas of the site. The available undisturbed habitat for the orangutans, tigers, sun bears and other wildlife continues to diminish. No action was taken to provide enforcement of the existing laws regarding protection of the national park, and the loggers still do not fear arrest or punishment for their illegal activities. This is especially troubling given the concern that others may attempt to copy the actions of the former logging operations to gain attention from government and development agencies. There is nothing to prevent more of them from moving into the research area again, and no protection for the local wildlife. We still need your help, to put pressure on the authorities to provide real solutions, including enforcement of existing laws and a regular security presence to protect the park and all its inhabitants. Long-term solutions involving education and development assistance for local communities should be promoted, as well. This kind of illegal logging activity continues unchecked throughout Indonesia, but it is especially troubling that it is happening in Gunung Leuser, reputed to be the best-managed national park in the country. So please, if you care about the orangutans and other wildlife at Suaq, KEEP WRITING LETTERS! |
