Together with journalists of other printed media, The Jakarta Post's Sri Wahyuni was recently invited to join an investigative team formed by the Yogyakarta-based Silvagama Foundation. Since 1999, the non-governmental organization has been researching illegal logging and the destruction of the natural environment of Nusakambangan, a prison island located south of the Central Java town of Cilacap. The team set out to prove that illegally logging has continued unchecked on the island for years, despite its status as a conservation area and the public's belief that Nusakambangan is a stronghold.

It was 7 a.m. Environmental activist with the foundation Husnaeni Nugroho, or Unang as he is popularly known, guided us to a spot adjacent to Seleko port in Cilacap. From Seleko we made the two-hour trip to Kalismek, Ujung Alang village, in a motorized wooden boat. It was there that our trip really got underway.

"We will follow the jalur maling", said Unang, one of the original team members, using the local term that refers to the tracks of illegal loggers.

The image of Nusakambangan as a fortified place promptly disappeared as we saw for ourselves that nothing prevented us from trespassing. There was no notice, much less a signboard, to indicate that our presence wasn't welcome.

So, we continued to Nusakambangan forest, part of which is used for farming. After walking for two hours – a tough stint for city journalists – we came across evidence of illegal logging near a place locally known as Block C Beach on the southern part of the island. Yet, while the freshly felled trees told us that loggers had been there recently, nobody was in sight.

"They probably moved deeper into the jungle," said Unang, while inspecting the sawdust on the ground.

Indeed, as we made our way toward the forest's heart, we met at least four loggers who were carrying three-meter-long logs. We glimpsed four other men ahead of us on the maling (track), but they were too quick for us to follow and we couldn't be sure of their intentions.

"The forest is in a critical state. The damage to the environment is unbearable. According to our calculations, unless something is done about it, the forest will disappear in less than 10 years," Unang said.

As a lowland tropical rain forest, one of only a few lowland forests left on Java Island, Nusakambangan is biologically diverse. Although it covers an area of some 17,000 hectares – or one thousandth of the total area of Java Island – it is home to one tenth of Java's flora. The existence of four nature preserves on the island – Nusakambangan Timur, Nusakambangan Barat, Wijayakusuma, and Karang Bolong – is further evidence of its biodiversity.

In Nusakambangan Barat and Nusakambangan Timur alone, the total area of which is 952 hectares – or less than 6 percent of the total area of the island – there are 535 different kinds of plants. Among them are rare and protected plants, such as Wijayakusuma (Pisona grandis), Bunga Bangkai (Rafflesia padma), and pelalar or Meranti Jawa (Dipterocarpus littoralis).

At least 71 different species of birds are found in Nusakambangan Barat – 23 of which are protected – 14 species of reptiles and various kinds of mammals and other fauna.

Among the protected ones are spotted leopards or Macan Tutul (Pantera pardus), deer (Muntiacus muntjak), mouse-deer (Tragulus javanicus), sea eagles (Helauetus leucogaster), elang bondol (Haliastus indus), and elang bido (Spilornis cheela).

Four of Java's six endemic primates, namely lutung (Trachypithecus auratus), macaca (Macaca fascicularis), surili (Presbytis comata), and kukang (Nyctibus sp.), are also reported to live on the island.

Due to illegal logging activities, some 3,000 hectares of Nusakambangan has been deforested.

Research conducted by the foundation revealed that some 12,480 trees on the limited-access area of Nusakambangan are logged yearly. In fact, the forested areas of Nusakambangan comprise only the four preserves, which cover a combined area of 953.5 hectares. With an estimated 144 trees per hectare, there are only some 137,000 trees growing among the four preserves.

According to Cilacap Police unit (Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja) head Paulus Triyanto, illegal logging first started in Nusakambangan in 1995. Loggers, who work in groups of 20 to 30, initially used handsaws. They would spend a month in the jungle staying in huts, with a week or two at home to relax before their next working stint.

In 1997, hundreds of people came to the area to work on a Cavendish banana plantation. When the plantation failed to generate profit, illegal logging escalated. It was abandoned the following year, leaving the workers unpaid. Disappointed, the workers asked to stay so that they could continue to farm the former plantation. As it turned out, other land became available for farming as it too was cleared of trees.

At the same time, more and more people arrived in Nusakambangan for the same purpose. They set up camp with chain saws replacing the old handsaws, causing more rapid destruction.

"In 1999, no less than 2,000 hectares of the forest had become open fields," said Paulus, adding that over 1,000 families had arrived in the area that same year.

In 2000, an integrated team comprising various institutions – including local police and military commands – began to address problems caused by the existence of squatters in the forest. They socialized the prevailing laws regarding Nusakambangan and provided information on the legal consequences of living there – as well as illegal logging – and persuaded them to leave.

The following year, sterner measures were taken. Nearly 800 makeshift shelters were demolished. Hundreds of squatters were questioned by the police – among them employees of Nusakambangan Penitentiary – and were given moral and legal advice before being released.

"We still conduct such operations, but not frequently enough to stop the loggers. Besides which, most are too quick to be caught in act. They can run very fast in the dense forest," said Paulus.

Establishing security posts on Nusakambangan, according to Paulus, is of no less importance.

At least three posts are needed to protect the four preserves from illegal logging. They should be located at strategic points, namely on Permisan, Karangtengah, and Karanganyar tracks, which are heavily used by illegal loggers, Paulus said. Such an effort, he said, would only be possible with the resolution of a conflict between the Cilacap regental administration and the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights over who has authority over the island – and if the two institutions worked together to save the island.

This is also important as the island is the main source of clean water for the people of nearby Kampung Laut subdistrict, which has a total population of about 14,000.

The deforestation of Nusakambangan could also speed up sedimentation in the neighboring Segara Anakan region – which has been the main source of fish for local fishermen – and cause a shortage of fish in the region.

"Only the goodwill of the top officials of both institutions can save Nusakambangan forest," Paulus said.