Illegal logging and land clearing threaten park

Illegal logging and forest clearing practices continue to plague the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in Lampung, an environmental watchdog claims.

In 2010, thousands of squatters encroached into the conservation area, Hendrawan, the director of the Lampung branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said.

“Continued coffee cultivation inside the forest perimeter leads to more illegal forest clearing,” he said.

Hendrawan added that foreign buyers had threatened to stop buying Lampung coffee because it was grown illegally in protected forests.

He called on park authorities, the National Land Agency and the local administration to relocate squatters to designated farming areas.

“The policy may lead to farmers relocating their [illegal] coffee plantations to areas outside the park,” Hendrawan said.

“Evicting them would not solve the problem. They would only return to the park because they don’t have any land. Many rely on their illegal plantations to make ends meet,” he said.

Park authorities have launched frequent raids on squatter camps, arresting six squatters in the most recent raid and destroying their settlements.

Park official Maryanto said the six were being held by the West Lampung Police.

The raids, first launched in 2009, have reduced the number of squatters from 45,000 families in 2009 to 15,000.

— JP/Oyos Saroso H.N.