Giving it "back" to the Man!

With age comes wisdom, and, it seems in the case of Patih Laman, almost 90 years old and still capable of raising two fingers to authority that this is as true now as it ever was.

Patih is the leader of the Talang Malak Tribe in Sumatra and has won an award for conservation efforts in the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park where he and his kinsmen live.

However, recently he made the journey from the forest to the Provincial Governors Office to hand the coveted award back and ask that it be sent back to Jakarta, presumably with a note saying “Shove it up yer arse”



Patih was displaying his disappointment on the lack of control that the government has with illegal logging operations in the park. Specifically he was disgusted that having saved and conserved over 1,800 hectares of the once massive Penyabungan and Penganan jungle the Government’s inaction toward checking deforestation in his area has caused devastating deforestation.

Putting the problem in perspective is that although he has saved quite a substantial amount of forest land, the surrounding area which consists of 104,933 hectares in Tunu River, 98,577 hectares in Durian Jajar and 21,901 hectares in Kelumbuk Tinggi Baner, has all been converted into oil palm plantations. The rest of the non national park land has been given over to paper production.

Strangely, the areas on the map below which have a red border are areas where the pulp and paper manufacturers are raping the forest are also among the areas where the majority of wildlife sightings have been made.



The tribe who have lived in the forests for many generations used to grow and tend Sialang Tree’s, a preferred home for Honey Bee’s. These tree’s are spread a distance apart to allow a large and varied coverage area for the bees, which, when the honey is ready would supply about 150 kgs of Honey from each tree on each harvest. Sadly, it seems only ten such tree’s exist.

As is the way of things here, it seems that the local government, despite claiming to actively promote conservation, refused to see Patih and he left the award with lower level staff who presumably now have it hanging proudly on their office wall.

Tiger 2 – Loggers Nil

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Over the weekend a Sumatran tiger killed two illegal loggers making it a total of five deaths by the endangered animal within a month on Sumatra.

The 50-year-old man and his 18-year-old son were apparently sleeping beside their stash of stolen wood on Saturday morning when the cat attacked, in this case well within the animals “designated habitat”.

What I find strange about the last statement is that once upon a time, the whole island of Sumatra was the tiger’s habitat, now it seems that a few enclaves which are not connected by any form of corridor are where the endangered felines are imprisoned.

The conservation authority were quick to point out that there would be no attempt to track, capture and relocate the man eater as “This time it was the loggers' fault,"

           

Three people were killed in two separate attacks in late January in the area. Park rangers last week trapped an adult tigress believed responsible for the deaths and it was being relocated.

As I have ranted before, the main reason for the conflict between tigers and humans is the rapidly diminishing “habitat” due to deforestation caused by the current “need” for palm oil and wood pulp plantations in Sumatra. With every acre cropped, a tiger loses a stripe, so much so that in thirty years the population has dropped from 1,000 to 250. (If a human population decrease in the order of 75% took place over 30 years I am sure the area would have been designated a disaster zone)

 I really feel no sorrow for the logger and his son, although I am sure that economic necessity had driven them to break the law. It’s old Sher Khan who gets my vote this time…..

Tackling Conservation the Indo Way (or how to make some money on the side)

In today’s on-line edition of Tempo, an interesting little story appeared which both amused and confused me at the same time…



Apparently, in an attempt to help save some of the species which are  at risk in Indonesia, there is a plan to rent them out in an attempt to have them reproduce and, theoretically be released back into the wild in greater numbers…

The story reads:

The government has yet to come up with a price list and species of animals that could be leased out. The lease will require a deposit as collateral. However, the government stressed that the animals to be leased out will not be newly captured animals. 

“There is no list of the animals, nor a price list. We suggest this first step to see whether the idea would be accepted,” Tonny Suhartono told Tempo yesterday. Suhartono is director of the Biodiversity Conservation Center.

Darori, Forest Protection and Natural Conservation director-general, had previously suggested that people should be allowed to care for protected animals. The idea came to him when he saw how an almost-extinct Jalak bird, native to Bali, was kept in a protected environment to allow it to reproduce.

However, a significant deposit, like Rp 1 billion, would be required to obtain the right to care for a tiger.

Now, correct me if I am wrong, the minimum investment for this Noah’s Ark adventure would be a deposit for two animals, in the case of tigers – two billion Rupiah (US $2.2 million) and then keep them for a couple of years until the cubs have been weaned, which would then presumably mean the cubs could be leased out…

What a wheeze, who needs to worry about collecting income taxes when this goldmine is sitting on the doorstep.

I better be very low key about this as the authorities would no doubt be chasing me for my deposit on the family of civet cats , known locally as “musang” who live in my roof. 



Ah, Indonesia, never a dull moment!

Co-Existing (Say hello to your new neighbours!)

Last week the Jakarta Post ran an Editorial titled “Man or Beast” which highlighted an issue which seems on the face to be straightforward, but, is in fact extremely problematic, mostly due to lack of legislation, lack of records and perhaps most importantly, lack of understanding.



Problem One : Save the Sumatran Tiger from being hunted down and killed in Aceh where they have preyed on domestic herds and more recently villagers.

Solution: Remove tigers from Aceh where the Human / Animal interface threatens their existence and relocate them to a more suitable environment.

Problem Two: Where do they go?

Here is the Jakarta Post’s article in full.

Of the country's hundreds of ethnic groups and tribes, there are some most of us have never heard of. When we do hear of them, it is when their members cry out in fear of extinction. Such is the case with a community in Lampung called the Belimbing clan -- a name which Indonesians associate only with star fruit.

The tribe's representatives have protested the decision to move two Sumatran tigers from Aceh to Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Lampung, which overlaps with their area.

A village chief, quoted in this newspaper Thursday, said the authorities had not discussed the decision with them.

The majority of people on this planet are in favor of saving tigris panthera sumatrae from extinction. The tribes people were merely concerned about their own protection. Authorities working with activists, a private management agency, the Zoological Society of London and Safari Park Indonesia joined hands to transport the two tigers, aged 9 and 4, to their new home.

Can Indonesia ensure their mutual existence? Obviously, not yet.

Another clan leader cited the Constitution, which guarantees protection for traditional communities. Despite the offer of land and financial compensation, A. Zulqomain Syarif said, "we certainly refuse to lose our identity."

Authorities and the tiger minders are trying to convince villagers that they are safe from the beasts, who have consumed their goats and chickens and earlier, villagers in Aceh.

In Riau, 13 elephants and two people have been killed since 2007 in conflicts involving the protected species and forest squatters in Tesso Nila National park in Pelalawan regency.

On a daily basis, the issue of man versus beast plagues the country's more than 50 national parks and the communities around them. All are endangered, whether it is man-eating tigers, stomping elephants, traditional communities or poor farmers.

The failure to provide space for all is yet another reflection on the country's ills, such as mismanagement and poor law enforcement, apart from the sheer recklessness and apathy regarding the wellbeing of the people and animal and plant species, which we're supposed to protect. The laws and regulations have their flaws; for instance, the rights of traditional communities are not explicitly addressed in rules on national parks, researchers say.

In Riau, the few thousand families living near some 80 elephants are labeled squatters while an official said their occupied land had been certified by local authorities.

Big businesses eager to bank on their public image instead risk being dragged into the disputes: Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper is planning to contribute almost 20,000 hectares to the expansion of the national park in Pelalawan, while a subsidiary of the Artha Graha group is managing the tiger conservation area in Lampung.

Forest depletion and illegal logging, which have resulted in millions of hectares of vanishing forest each year, are among the realities on the ground, coupled with animals wandering into human settlements for food.

Regarding the mismanagement that is currently characteristic of regions and the central government, carrying out public consultation should be the very minimum for authorities, which have been known to try to avoid resistance for their own selfish ends. They must not, however, implement the one-way, top-down "consultation" approach of the Soeharto years.

"People-based" conservation is today's watchword. Without local assistance in conserving areas home to endangered species for their own interests, the perception remains that authorities hamper and even endanger their livelihoods, while providing the green light for the exploitation of resource-rich forests by big business.

Projections of tourism revenue could be an extra incentive for the national and local administrations, as shown by the few thousand visitors enjoying the cool air, sights and sounds of the Mount Gede and Pangrango national parks just outside Jakarta each weekend.

Without the animals, the next generations will only hear tall tales of Indonesia's tigers "burning bright, in the forest of the night."

Source URL: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/09/05/editorial-man-or-beast.html


Stirring stuff, and I’m sure that most of us can see the deep rooted problems being faced here. Pretty well everything has been addressed here, conservation, animal welfare, human welfare, politics and legislation.

The reality is that while we humans encroach upon the territories of these animals, it is easy for us to adapt or eliminate the predators; unfortunately, the savage beast adopts other measures which give them a bit off bad press.

The pair of Tigers has already caused a bit of a stir and it was only a matter of weeks before they hit the headlines and the reality of “not planning the whole thing through” became evident.



Once again from the Jakarta Post (August 6th 2008)

Two Sumatran tigers recently released into South Bukit Barisan National Park (TNBBS) are blamed for killing eight goats and causing panic among villagers living within the park.

"Although forest rangers keep guard over our village, we are still afraid," Idai, 33, of Pengekahan village in Bengkunat Belimbing district, West Lampung regency, said Tuesday.

He added villagers' fears intensified a few days ago when the tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) were spotted entering the village and sleeping in front of the local elementary school building.

The tigers, two of five slated for release at the park, were released on July 22, despite concerns over the safety of some 500 people living in Wayharu village, Pengekahan.

Wayharu borders the release site, which lies in the Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation (TWNC) area owned by tycoon Tommy Winata.

Villagers have lived in the area since 1942, long before Wayharu was included in the TNBBS reserve. Efforts were begun two years ago to relocate them, but have proved futile.

Warsito, head of West Lampung's forestry office, said a safer site had been prepared for the relocation, but still lacked approval from the Forestry Ministry.

The local administration, legislators and activists insisted the release should not be carried out until the villagers were relocated, but their protests fell on deaf ears.

Mukri Friatna, director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment's (Walhi) Lampung branch, said the villagers would be in danger if nothing was done about the situation.

"In Aceh, tigers killed livestock first. Later, they killed humans. This could also be the case here," said Mukri, referring to a similar case in Mount Leuser National Park in Aceh.

"Now the tigers have been released, we urge the TNBBS and the Forestry Ministry to deal with the consequences of their actions," regency legislator Ulul Azmi Soltiansah said.

In response to the protests, Forestry Minister M.S. Ka'ban, who officiated the release two weeks ago, and Tommy Winata claimed it was highly improbable the tigers would venture into the village, because TWNC abounded in their natural prey.

"There are lots of deer, wild boars, monkeys and wild buffalo. The tigers will feel at home here and will not enter the village," Ka'ban said at the release.

TWNC management expressed similar sentiments, saying the tigers had been tagged with global positioning system (GPS) devices to track their movements.

Neither the ministry nor the park have come up with a contingency plan in case the tigers really do venture into the village.

The problem has been identified in Aceh, now it is possible in Lampung but seems to be common as is evidenced in an Antara News report from Riau province.

A tiger entered an office of oil company PT Bumi Siak Pusako in Siak District, Riau, on Tuesday evening and remained in the room Wednesday.

"The tiger is still in the office, but we don't have the courage to approach it," Pak Ishitmyself, an office worker, said on Wednesday. Fucking Idiot, you need to be a moron not brave to approach one of these fuckers without training or getting Iron Man to assist you.

He said the PT Bumi Siak Pusako office was located near Siak River, and that on Tuesday evening the tiger got into one of its office rooms through the front door and remained there until Wednesday.

"When I was about to leave the office on Tuesday evening, the tiger suddenly appeared and got into one of the office rooms," Ishitmyself said. (Presumably this is also when he lost control of his bowels and legged it)

He said the incident had been reported to the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), but at the time this report was filed (two days later) the wild animal had not yet be driven out.



I’ve been to these offices, it’s a really beautiful area (if you can ignore the deforestation on the journey from Pekanbaru) but I think this cleary demonstrates that unless some radical thinking and action takes place quickly, the poor old Tiger will become like foxes in the UK and be driven into the towns in an attempt to survive.

Ripping the heart from Sumatra

One Truckload at a time!



One Truckload at a time!



One Truckload at a time!

Hot Spot Warning!

The press today has been critical on the subject of Hot Spots, basically slow buring areas of land and their potentail to send smoke haze across Singapore and Malaysia.



From Reuters....

More than 500 hot spots have been spotted across Indonesia's Sumatra island, signalling the annual dry-season forest fires and the haze it sometimes carries, a Forestry Ministry official said on Monday.

Forestry ministry official fear the number of hot spots could exceed last year's record as the current dry season will be marked by less rain than usual, Sonny Partono, the director of forest fire control, told Reuters.

"According to the Meteorology agency, this year's dry season is very dry, not wet like last year. That's the problem," Partono said. "Looking at the fluctuation of hot spots, this year could be worse than last."

Partono said he had recorded 8,000 hot spots since January. Last year's dry season was wetter than usual, resulting in 35,000 hot spots, down from 144,000 in 2006.

In the past, Indonesia's neighbours have grown increasingly frustrated by the annual fires, most of which are deliberately lit by farmers or timber and palm oil plantation companies to clear land for cultivation.

Sorry guys, bad news they are also starting to appear in Jakarta....



As seen on the Cikampek Toll Road. The passengers were about a mile further down the Toll Road, walking very, very quickly!



No sign of the emergency services either...Ho Hum, nothing changes here!