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nvironmental activists on the Kepak Sayap Enggang–Tur mata harimau seri Kalimantan (hornbill and tiger expedition for forest rescue in Kalimantan) explored a number of forests in three provinces of Kalimantan for almost two weeks in September.

Going by trail motorbikes, they traveled across the jungles of South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan from Sept. 14 to 28, some dressed in black-striped yellow and others in black, imitating the colors of Sumatra tigers and Kalimantan hornbills.

This rescue campaign was seen by environmentalists as well-timed in view of the frequent attempts to smuggle the beaks of enggang gading or white-beaked hornbills (Buceros/rhinoplax vigil) from Pontianak, West Kalimantan, to mainland China.

On Sept. 26, for instance, 73 hornbill beaks were found in an examination at Supadio Airport. On Aug. 9, airport personnel and the West Kalimantan Conservation and Natural Resources Agency held two citizens of China carrying 96 beaks. Later in September, an attempt to smuggle out 189 beaks was foiled at the airport.

“In their search, Kepak Sayap team members discovered a flock of hornbills only once, in the border region of Muller Suwahner mountains around Nanga Tayap. The habitat of hornbills still remains there though under threat,” said Zulfahmi, Forest campaign chief of Greenpeace Indonesia, on the return of the team to Pontianak on Sept. 28.

He indicated that during the expedition, many of the forests previously providing hornbills’ habitat were found to have been turned into large-scale estates, thus forcing the mascot birds of Kalimantan to leave for the mountain areas. According to him, the remaining forests should be maintained for protected animals but it’s very important to review licenses that create community conflict.

The team of Kepak Sayap Enggang–Tur Mata Harimau Seri Kalimantan was composed of activists from Greenpeace, the Indonesian Environment Forum (Walhi), Save Our Borneo (SOB), YBB (youth organization), People’s Forest Working Group (Pokker SHK), Indonesian Green Association (SHI), and Navicula Band.

West Kalimantan Walhi director Anton P. Widjaya said the campaign was meant to monitor Kalimantan’s forests now seriously damaged. “Through this campaign, we can gain public support and have the participation of all community members in the forest rescue of Kalimantan,” he pointed out.

Navicula Band vocalist Robbie said his group joined Greenpeace because of this movement’s beneficial activity. Besides, Navicula is indeed concerned about environment issues. “The question is whether we act now or not. It’s actually rather late, but it’s better than taking no action at all,” added the musician and also journalist

Agus Sutomo from Gemawan, an institute for the empowerment of disadvantaged groups, said the expedition had been very exciting and at the same time saddening. “It wasn’t due to road conditions, but rather the miserable state of local communities. We have no idea how long this will last,” noted Sutomo.

West Kalimantan Walhi campaign manager Hendrikus Adam said over a dozen social organizations in the province had been involved in this expedition. They included the provincial Walhi, Dayakology Institute, Gemawan Institute, Marine Resources Research Center (PPSDAK), Institute for Legal Resources Empowerment (LBBT), West Kalimantan Alliance of Indonesian Custom Communities (AMAN), Greenpeace, Link-AR Borneo (circle of advocacy and research), Sampan (coastal organization), SoR Photography, Zul MS Borneo Fine Art Gallery, Forest Monitoring Network (FMN), BPAN-Kalbar (custom youth association), Tanjungpura University (Untan) and Sylva Untan (Untan environment group).

At the end of the forest rescue campaign on Sept. 28, the activists sought the continuation of the government’s logging moratorium to end deforestation.

In the 14-day ride starting from South Kalimantan and ending in West Kalimantan, they were entering the interior regions of Borneo, only to find massive deforestation carried out by extractive mining, oil palm estates and timber companies.

“We saw how forest and peat land in West Kalimantan had been ravaged for oil palm and timber estates. Forest trees on hillsides were cut down, spoiling the upper reaches of rivers as sources of clean water. The stretches of peat in Kuala Labai, Ketapang, were destroyed by making canals that will release carbon dioxide, a source of global warming,” said Anton.

Greenpeace, Walhi, AMAN and several other non-governmental organizations urged the Indonesian government to take prompt action against companies damaging forest and peat land, causing the loss of habitat of protected orangutans and hornbills, besides resolving land disputes between local people and companies. This reality has ruined the government commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from forestry to 26 percent until 2020.

Nonetheless, the team also discovered some forests still in good ecological condition in the Meratus mountains, South Kalimantan, and Muller Suwahner mountains in the Central and West Kalimantan border area. Communal forests taken care of through the practice of local customs and wisdom are also well conserved.            

“The moratorium ending in 2013 should be carried on without time limit because its two-year implementation has not yet terminated deforestation. It should be able to save the forests rich in biodiversity now being fought over by companies seeking concessions,” said Zulfahmi.

On Sept. 27, the environment activist team in Ketapang regency, West Kalimantan, found evidence of the continuous destruction of forest and peat land and orangutan habitat, by a company supplying wood for a pulp and paper group of companies in Kuala Labai, West Kalimantan.

Greenpeace and Walhi activists along with Navicula Band’s vocalist Robbie saw land that had just been opened on estates owned by another company.

“We want the group to prove its commitment to end forest damage. The destruction we’re watching today in the concession area of the group’s supplier is opposed to the commitment. The group should control its supplier,” said Greenpeace Indonesia’s Zulfahmi.

Anton pointed out what Asia Tani Persada had done not only increased the threat to the ecosystem but also the potential for conflict with local people over such things as spoiled sources of clean water and the delineation of concession areas.

“The moratorium should review all concession licenses on natural forest and peat land. Conflict in West Kalimantan’s forestry and estates continue and the moratorium will expire in 2013. The success of this policy should be based on the resolution of land disputes with locals and the protection of peat,” said Anton.

The forest monitoring was part of the team’s campaign for the forest rescue of Kalimantan. Greenpeace, Walhi, AMAN and the other environmental organizations also called on the government to exclude the expanses of carbon-rich peat land and protected wildlife’s habitat from the concessions being reviewed.

On arrival in Pontianak, the team was welcomed by the local community of bikers and motorcyclists as well as college students. After being paraded to Tanjungpura University, the activists were entertained with enggang (hornbill) dance performed by Borneo Tarigas studio and later with a Dayak traditional dance by Kudangan villagers.

“When we entered Lamandau regency [Central Kalimantan], we saw an ocean of oil palm estates. In Delang district, we stopped to watch a newly leveled forest for conversion into oil palm plantations. Instead of meeting needs, forest denudation is a matter of greed,” said Robbie from Navicula Band in a dialogue with the community and students.

“In the border area of Muller Suwahner mountains we finally watched seven hornbills as our team was leaving Central Kalimantan. The habitat of hornbills remains there but it’s still under threat,” Nordin, director of SOB, revealed.

“It’s important to conserve the remaining forests for the habitat of protected animals, but it’s most important to review concession licenses that give rise to conflict in local communities,” added Zulfahmi.

— Photos Courtesy of Greenpeace Indonesia