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THE FINAL CUT
Illegal Logging in Indonesia's Orangutan Parks |
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Tanjung Puting National Park - Logging in the East of the Park
The nature of illegal logging activities in the more remote eastern region of Tanjung Puting differs significantly from the Sekonyer and Buluh Besar operations. The east has endured logging for far longer, and the valuable ramin tree has largely been removed from the area, forcing the illegal loggers to target less profitable dipterocarps like meranti and bangkirai instead. Illegal logging is so entrenched in the area that roads have been built inside the park to take the timber out. The eastern boundary of Tanjung Puting runs parallel to the Seruyan River, which is located approximately seven kilometres to the east of the park. The port of Kuala Pembuang is found where the Seruyan reaches the Java Sea, and there are several tributaries running into the main river which provide access into the park. One of these tributaries is the Bangkuang River, in Pembuang Hulu district. An EIA/Telepak team spent a week in this region building up a detailed picture of illegal logging activities and identified the people running the logging gangs. The upstream area of the Bangkuang River is divided up by the logging bosses into informal "concessions" inside Tanjung Puting. These middlemen - seven of whom were identified operating in the area - are based in local villages along the Seruyan River, including Tanjung Hanau, Benua Usang, Telaga Pulang and Baung. The local bosses scout out new logging areas inside the park by surveying parts of the forest on foot and counting the density and size of commercial tree species. When a suitable "concession" is discovered it is marked to keep out other loggers, although conflict over the more abundant forest areas can occur. With a new area now claimed and marked out, the boss returns to the village to recruit a logging gang. The gangs consist of between five and 12 people, both chainsaw operators and labourers to pull the logs out, who work the area for around six months. Loggers claim to take out around 2,000 cubic metres of timber over the six months from each illicit concession. As five distinct "concessions" were identified, at least 10,000 cubic metres of illegal timber is being taken from inside the park each year from the Bangkuang River district alone. EIA/Telapak investigated one of these concessions to find out how the logging is organised. The boss of the area was identified as Jali from Tanjung Hanau. Using a Global Positioning System the investigators confirmed the presence of four different logging camps within the park working on Jali's "concession". The loggers working in the area are both local people and from other parts of Indonesia, including Lombok and East Java. The logging team takes mixed wood such as meranti and bangkirai, which can be floated on the rivers out of the logging area. The process of moving the timber from the logging area to the Seruyan River is torturous and can take up to four months, but in Jalil's area a crude road had been cut out of the forest to allow the use of a truck for part of the route. Wooden rails were also discovered in the area and are used to pull the logs along. In the investigation area over 30 small log piles were counted. After being sawn into about three sections per log and stacked, the timber is pulled out along the rails. A 20-tonne truck is then used to transfer the timber to the site of a large log pond on the Bangkuang River. At least two kilometres of road was observed within the park. The logs are moved down the river during the rainy season to the village of Tanjung Harau, on the banks of the Seruyan. EIA/Telepak saw over 130 logs in the pond, and over 1,000 log pieces in total spread across the "concession" area. At the village the local boss takes control of the timber and pays the logging gang around Rp 50,000 ($8) per cubic metre. Out of this payment the chainsaw operator will receive about Rp 12,000 ($2) for each tree felled, the truck driver gets Rp10, 000 ($1.5) per cubic metre, and the team of labourers receive about Rp 25,000 ($4). The timber is then transported down the Seruyan River in large rafts, destined for one of the 26 sawmills of Kuala Pembuang. While the local boss pays just Rp 50,000 for each cubic metre of illegal timber, he can expect to sell it for up to Rp 250,000 ($40) in Kuala Pembuang. Logging activities in the Baung River area inside Tanjung Puting were also documented. In an area inside the park known locally as Natai Empat seven separate logging camps were counted. The main camp appeared to be a permanent settlement within Tanjung Puting, with a range of crops being grown and up to 30 loggers in residence. The loggers knew they were inside a protected area. Again the forest was dissected by a network of rails for pulling the logs out. Three separate rail systems were seen, each with a series of spurs running off to log collection sites. One main rail appeared to be newly constructed and ran for over one kilometre. Ramin has also disappeared from this part of the park, leaving the loggers to seek dipterocarps like meranti instead. From the evidence accumulated in the east of Tanjung Puting, it is clear that the illegal logging here has been proceeding for a number of years and has entered a distinct second phase. While the first phase involves the specific targeting of ramin - the most valuable tree found in the park - and is characterised by events along the Sekonyer and Buluh Besar river, loggers have virtually stripped the east clean of this tree. One of the illegal loggers operating in the Bangkuang River said ramin had finished in the area over four years ago. Instead commercial dipterocarps are now being felled, which although not as valuable as ramin still offer considerable profits to those behind the logging This second phase may ultimately be even more damaging to the park as more tree species are being felled. From detailed investigations a clear picture of the progression of the logging of Tanjung Puting has emerged. The logging operations have been moving steadily towards the core part of the park, which contains most of the orangutan research areas. As ramin has been removed from the south and east of the park, the logging gangs make ever-deeper incursions in search of the timber. One of the local bosses from the east has been surveying forest just ten kilometres from Camp Leakey. Unless the wave of logging is halted soon not a single part of Tanjung Puting will remain unscathed. |
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