Fadli, The Jakarta Post, Riau
Illegal logging in Tesso Nilo National Park in Riau province is serious problem three years since the area was declared protected in 2004.
Park management head Hayani Suprahman told The Jakarta post in Horas Hillin Pelalawan regency in the province that the park's area had shrunk from 38,576 hectares when it was opened to 29,576.
He said illegal logging was to blame. A combination of a lack of personnel and poor teamwork among the offices that monitored the park meant it was difficult to crack down on the practice, he said.
""Just within three years, 9,000 hectares of forest in Tesso Nilo national park has gone to illegal logging,"" Hayani said.
The extent of the damage caused by illegal logging was serious, which the Post saw during a helicopter flight from Pekanbaru to Hotar Hill.
While in the air, Hayani saw a bulldozer in a forest located near the national park area. He then recorded the scene and said he would find out how the bulldozer had entered the forest. ""It's presence should have a clear purpose,"" Hayani said.
The national park, which stretches through Pelalawan and Indragiri Hulu regencies in Riau, gained its status in July 2004 but management infrastructure construction did not start until 2006.
The park, which is home to at least 360 protected plants and hundreds of endangered species, is also the native habitat of the Sumatran elephant, of which there are only 40 to 50 left in the park.
Hayani added that the park was also an important water catchment area for the province.
Several rivers pass through the park and damage from illegal logging has raised fears of massive flooding in the province.
Under its future plan, the national park should be expanding rather than shrinking. It is part of the 120,000-hectare Tesso Nilo area, which is expected to be entirely national park one day.
But the plan faces a threat from several forest concession companies operating around the park.
According to Eliezer P. Lorenzo, environment manager of PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper, illegal logging within the Tesso Nilo area continues to increase.
In 2002, 6,000 hectares of forest were cleared, 8,000 hectares in 2004, 18,000 hectares in 2005 and 36,000 hectares in 2006.
He said the company had been working to help preserve the park by planting trees around it to serve as fence.
""We want law enforcement in this region to be much more stricter in dealing with illegal logging,"" said Lorenzo.
Hayani said the park's management could not work alone and called for support from related offices.
Coordination problems could be seen recently when former environment minister Emil Salim questioned officials from the province's forestry office and the park's management on efforts to stop illegal logging and forest fires.
Neither office was willing to be held responsible for the problems.
Emil said he hoped the people of Riau would unite to deal with illegal logging and forest fires, which he predicted would escalate in August and September this year.
