Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – Illegal loggers have stripped bare at least 20 percent of the forest in Kerinci Seblat National Park in West Sumatra, and the losses will continue unless the authorities take action, an official says.
Aman Zamora, an official with the 271,870-hectare national park, located in Pesisir Selatan regency, told The Jakarta Post that satellite images had pinpointed 11 large-scale illegal logging sites that are currently operating.
"The most extensive damage has been done along the planned Kambang-Muara Labuh highway, construction of which has been halted by the forestry minister, where all of the trees 200 to 500 meters from both sides of the road have been cut down," he said.
Some 60 kilometers of the road were completed before the minister put a halt to the project. A 20-kilometer stretch of trees along the road from Kambang, and four kilometers from Muara Labuh, were affected.
According to Aman, there are 11 illegal sawmills operating just outside the national park which are encouraging illegal logging in the park, particularly by residents. He said that though the sawmills were illegal, authorities had done nothing to restrict their operation.
"I'm sure the level of illegal logging would dwindle if the sawmills were closed down, because that's where residents sell their timber. To tell you the truth, we can't stop the sawmills because they always know when we are coming and disappear," he said.
The group West Sumatra People Against Illegal Logging (MAIL), said the national park in Pesisir Selatan was one of the main victims of illegal logging in the province.
"Indonesian Military and police personnel are believed to be involved in escorting timber trucks that are not carrying legal documents," MAIL coordinator Vino Oktavia said Friday.
MAIL is an alliance of 31 NGOs in Padang, among them the West Sumatra chapters of the Indonesian Environmental Forum and Conservation International, which conducted investigations of illegal logging locations in Pesisir Selatan in January.
The groups discovered 18 unlicensed sawmills operating in the regency, most fed with timber coming from Kerinci Seblat National Park.
"Illegal logging in Pesisir Selatan begins with businessmen placing orders for timber from sawmill owners. The sawmill owners then order timber from chain saw owners, who then pay residents to fell trees. The timber is then transported to the border between Pesisir Selatan and Muko Muko in Bengkulu province, and taken back to Padang equipped with legal documents from Bengkulu in the names of forest concession holders there," said Vino.
MAIL blames flash floods in several districts in Pesisir Selatan in January and February on illegal logging in the national park.
Three districts in Pesisir Selatan were hit by flash floods on Feb. 26, damaging hundreds of houses, hundreds of hectares of fields and a number of bridges and schools. Material losses have been estimated at about Rp 114 billion (US$12 million).
"If the regency administration doesn't put a stop to illegal logging in Pesisir Selatan immediately, the area will continue to be at risk of floods that will cause extensive damage," Vino said.