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Worm hunt damages W. Java national park
tribunnews
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Anyone who has fallen ill with typhoid has probably heard of a suggested home remedy made of earthworms that is said to help speed up recovery.
This is actually not a myth and the sonari earthworm (Pheretima musica) is highly sought after for its many health benefits, including for typhoid and high fevers.
In West Java, the worm business is apparently a lucrative one that unfortunately stands at the expense of Mount Gede Pangrango National Park.
The earthworm is being hunted due to high export demand for medicine. The illegal activity was revealed following the arrest of a Cianjur resident named Didin, 48, last month for allegedly destroying the national park’s core zone while searching for sonari earthworms.
The national park’s acting head, Adison, said Didin’s arrest could lead to the uncovering of a syndicate that profits from damaging the forest.
“They [the syndicate] destroyed the core zone, cutting down trees. Mount Pangrango has the best land cover. The damage could have a dangerous impact on the environment,” Adison said in Bandung.
Reaching tens of centimeters in length, the sonari earthworm is being hunted for economic reasons, he added.
A packet of 10 earthworms can reach Rp 50,000 (US$ 3.8) in the market. When dried, the price skyrockets to Rp 5 million per
kilogram.
“Collectors usually receive orders to deliver the worms abroad, usually to Japan or China,” Adison said
Park officers became aware of possible poaching activities in September last year when they received reports that an area within the park, at an elevation of 2,500 meters above sea level, had been destroyed.
An investigation soon followed, requiring officers to hike for eight hours to reach the site.
During the probe, which lasted until March, they discovered that at least five locations had been damaged by worm hunters, with the effected areas ranging from
2 hectares to 20 ha.
In some sites, trees had been cut down to make way for makeshift shelters and to give hunters easier access to worms living in tree trunks.
It is believed that the poachers had dried the earthworms on the spot as officers also found scorch marks on the forest grounds.
Small worms usually live in tree trunks, while the larger ones fall to the ground and burrow their way down into the soil to depths of 30 centimeters.
The core zone of Mount Gede Pangrango National Park is restricted to the public and can only be accessed for protection activities, data collection and
research.
Didin stands accused of violating the 2013 Law on the Prevention and Eradication of Forest Damage, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of Rp 5 billion.
