S

iberut National Park on Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands regency, West Sumatra, is under pressure from development carried out by the local administration.

Siberut National Park Center Region I section head Junaidi said that a planned access road to the regency capital located on the western coast would cut across the national park.

'€œThe regency administration wishes to build the Trans-Mentawai highway to access the regency capitals, but we have prohibited roads from passing through Siberut National Park,'€ Junaidi told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The treat to the conservation area emerged after the two districts on Siberut divided into four districts seven years ago.

A large section of Southwest Siberut district and a part of West Siberut district are located within the Siberut National Park, and a number of government offices and public facilities have been built there.

Two years ago the regency administration received aid to build the Trans-Mentawai highway to link every regency capital in Mentawai Islands. However, the aid was postponed because some of the roads were projected to go through the national park. '€œWe met the regent, vice regent and regency council leaders several times to discuss the problem,'€ said Junaidi.

However, the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Natural Conservation (PHKA), according to Junaidi, then granted the request by the Mentawai Islands regency administration by adjusting the Siberut National Park zonal areas.

The PHKA rezoned 15,330 hectares from forest and traditional utility zones to a Special Zone on Feb. 4, 2015. '€œThe zonal changes are in line with government regulations and may be carried out once every five years, the last being in 2001,'€ said Junaidi.

The Special Zone is located in West Siberut and Southwest Siberut districts, encompassing traditional villages, such as Simalagi, Simatalu and Sagulubek.

In the Special Zone, public-service facilities may be built, such as community health clinics, schools and government offices, as well as supporting roads, such as 2-meter-wide concrete village-facility lanes.

'€œAsphalt roads, however, are not allowed. The roads that may be built are only to access resort areas or simply inter-village lanes,'€ said Junaidi.

Siberut National Park, spanning 190,500 hectares, was established by the government in 1993. The area is almost half the size of the western part of Siberut Island, where more than 1,500 traditional communities live in 15 hamlets and villages in the park area.

Mentawai Islands regency council speaker Yosep Sarogdok endorsed the change in function of several zones in Siberut National Park. '€œWe respect conservation areas, like the Siberut National Park, without which the forest in Siberut would have been depleted by now, but we also wish to empower the traditional communities that have existed in the area since before it was turned into a national park,'€ said Yosep.

Mentawai Vice Regent Rijel Samaloisa said the need for the Trans-Mentawai highway to Southwest Siberut district was very urgent as the only alternative mode of transportation was by sea.

The tides were huge as the district directly faced the Indian Ocean and boats could not sail during the high-tide season, which lasts for three months annually, Rijel said

'€œWe'€™ve experienced problems, such as when transporting election logistics, medical aid, education and disaster-relief supplies, not to mention the high costs by sea. Asphalt roads passable by cars would greatly help the people there,'€ he said