Selasa, 30 Juni 2009

Save Tropical Forest

Mohamad Rayan. Clipping

A New Idea to Save Tropical Forests Takes FlightJohn O. Niles, special to mongabay.com June 29, 2009This is the first in a series of tropical forest policy commentaries John-O Niles will be writing for Mongabay.com leading up to the December U.N. climate meeting in Copenhagen.

John-O is the Director of the Tropical Forest Group.
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In late 1991, I had just finished my undergraduate degree in forest economics at the University of Vermont. The Rio Earth Summit was approaching and everyone seemed to be wearing “Save the Rainforest” T-shirts. So, being 22 years old and green in more ways than one, I decided to hitchhike across Africa and see the rainforest myself. After a summer working in an Alaska salmon cannery to save some money and thumbing my way back across America in station wagons and 18 wheelers, I grabbed a $199 one-way flight to Spain. I crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on a ferry and proceeded to get solidly conned my first night in Morocco by one of Tangiers’ world-famous touts. I then got sick in the Sahara and stranded during a coup in Algeria. I stayed with a one-eyed farmer (Jo-Man) in Niger, and floated down the Niger River into northwestern Nigeria on a pirogue. I wandered around the notoriously difficult nation for a few weeks and then headed southeast to make my way into Cameroon. In Cameroon, I knew, I could see some real rainforests. While phoning home from Calabar, Nigeria, to my distraught mother (I hadn’t contacted her in months and she had called the State Department to report me missing), I ran into Liza Gadsby. Liza and her partner, Peter Jenkins, run Pandrillus, an excellent primate and forest non-profit working in southeast Nigeria and southwest Cameroon. They invited me to stay at their “ranch” to help care for orphaned chimpanzees and drill monkeys. After several months on my own in Africa and having lost 20 pounds, looking after cute young chimpanzees and eating real food (Liza is a great cook) was a refreshing and welcome opportunity.

John-O in the Afi Mountains in 1992. Peter and Liza fed me enough hearty dinners to restore some weight. In exchange I diapered sick and remarkably manipulative young chimpanzees and hand-fed palm-size infant drills that looked like miniature aliens. All the primates cared for by Pandrillus, orphans of the bushmeat trade, get medical care and live with same-species friends in enormous enclosures. After a few weeks of rest and volunteering, I decided to leave my simian friends and continue my jaunt through Africa. Peter and Liza suggested that if I wanted to see a rainforest, I should go to the Afi Mountains, a few hours’ drive north. The Afi Mountains marked a major frontier of deforestation. To the west there were few forests left; most had been cut to feed Nigeria’s growing rural population. To the east, toward Cameroon, there were still plenty of forests, though they too were being exploited fast. Nigeria’s Afi Mountains had key outposts of chimpanzee, gorilla, and elusive drill monkey populations. I caught a lift to the village of Buanchor , a relatively remote village of the Boki tribe. Buanchor, nestled under the Afi mountains, was a colorful and rowdy town, with dozens of chiefs, all whom wore red hats.
The Jeep ride into the Afi Mountains in 1992. Photo by John O. Niles. The next morning, having hired guides and met some of Buanchor’s chiefs, I journeyed into my first rainforest. I hadn’t taken more than a few steps into the forest when I stopped, threw off my pack, and then just plain threw up. Months of dysentery and amoebas, some palm wine the night before and a breakfast of fried yams and kola nuts took their toll. The guides were clearly curious about this hairy white guy losing his guts within minutes of what was to be a several-day excursion. Despite my flawed first yards in a rainforest, after a few days of trekking around the majestic and primitive mountains, I was hooked. The rainforest was disorienting, amazing, and completely wild and strange to this Vermonter. The sense of adventure sneaking through a jungle and stalking distant ancestors is beyond description. During the day the jungle’s air glowed green. At night unseen animals joined together in a cacophony of wild sounds that rose and fell in a disorienting and muddled unison. There was a religious sense of awe from the intertwined trees that towered above me. We spent a few days scrambling up and down mountains, calling to attract duikers (small African antelope), reading animal clues, and eating sardines and hard bread in caves. It was during a lunch break, when I heard my first stories about Udoga, a famous hunter who wore only a loin cloth and caught everything from bush rats to gorillas. Since that fateful trip to the Afi Mountains, I have spent most my life trying to do something positive for tropical forests. This has included several return trips to Nigeria (where I lived with a growing ranch of chimpanzees and worked beside the former hunter Udoga), as well as writing academic articles, helping diplomats, leading an effort to create global forestry projects standards, and starting a non-profit to support forestry projects in post-conflict zones. And this year, for the first time in decades, I have a sense of hope. The world seems to finally recognize the severe human and environmental costs of tropical deforestation. Ambitious plans are being assembled to provide massive new support for tropical countries to rein in the devastation.

Tropical Deforestation

The village of Buanchor, Nigeria, underneath the Afi Mountains. Photo by John O. Niles. Every year, tens of millions of acres of tropical forests are destroyed. This is the most destabilizing human land-use phenomenon on Earth. Tropical forests store more aboveground carbon than any other biome. They harbor more species than all other ecosystems combined. Tropical forests modulate global water, air, and nutrient cycles. They influence planetary energy flows and global weather patterns. Tropical forests provide livelihoods for many of the world’s poorest, most marginalized people. Drugs for cancer, malaria, glaucoma, and leukemia are derived from rainforest compounds. Despite all these immense values, tropical forests are vanishing faster than any other natural system. No other threat to human welfare has been so clearly documented and simultaneously left unchecked. Since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (when more than 100 heads of State gathered to pledge a green future) 500 million acres of tropical forests have been cut or burned. For decades, tropical deforestation has been the No. 1 cause of species extinctions and the No. 2 cause of human greenhouse gas emissions, after the burning of fossil fuels. For decades, a few conservation heroes tried their best to plug holes in the dikes, but by and large the most diverse forests on Earth were in serious decline. In short, until very recently there has been no concerted effort to tackle what is arguably the most acute threat to Earth’s ecological integrity. Developing countries had other priorities. Conservation can rarely compete financially against putting in a soy bean crop or palm oil plantation, or selling trees, or growing coffee, or raising cattle. Wealthy countries were spending substantially more on toothpaste than on trying to save magnificent tropical forest ecosystems.

A New Plan


Some of the Boki people in Buanchor, Nigeria. Photo by John O. Niles.

And then in 2005, a small group of countries changed everything. Papua New Guinea teamed up with Costa Rica and a handful of other countries to make a formal plea to the United Nations. Their request was simple—if developing countries can credibly reduce rates of deforestation and the associated CO2 emissions, the countries should get paid. This band of countries, organized as the Coalition for Rainforest Nations, was even more specific. They asserted that tropical nations should get lucrative carbon credits for each ton of CO2 that otherwise would have been emitted because of deforestation. The global market for carbon credits was worth tens of billions of dollars, so tying rainforest protection to carbon finance would raise vast new sums to conserve tropical forests. Since almost 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are from tropical land-use change, and with growing concern about global warming, other countries began to listen. Since 2005, the concept of paying countries to conserve their forests and reduce global warming has been dubbed by diplomats as reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries, or REDD. REDD is a bold and evolving plan to radically slow the pace of CO2 emissions by offering hefty incentives for developing countries to stem deforestation. Instead of a couple hundred million dollars per year in conservation charity, billions of dollars in carbon credits could be spent to curtail logging, stop agriculture expansion, or in other ways prevent forests from getting knocked down or set on fire.

Afi Mountain forests. Photos by Pandrillus.

REDD is also an incredibly risky gamble. The whole plan relies on resolving gaping problems in forest tenure and governance, technological capacities, and regulatory oversight. In many countries it is not obvious who has rights over a forest. And nowhere in the world are there clear answers to the trickier question of who has rights to the carbon stored in the trees. Another key challenge is the need for a new, uniform way of “interlocking” satellite data with tree measurements taken from forests around the world. We can tell reasonably well from space where and when forests are cleared. Not so well understood is how much carbon is stored in a particular forest and how much is oxidized upon deforestation. In addition to issues of rights and technologies, new global institutions are needed to make this REDD plan work. And even with all these pieces in place, REDD assumes that appropriate price signals for saving trees will make a real difference on the ground in forest communities. This is a huge leap of faith, given that many developing countries currently deforesting have only loose control over vast areas of their land. There are also huge political differences about the ideal way to design a new REDD system of forest conservation payments. What is amazing is that, despite these challenges, some of the brightest conservation minds on the planet, and most governments, now believe that this so-called REDD plan is the best shot for saving millions of acres of tropical forests. REDD has inspired a whole new cadre of optimistic, creative, and determined people who are self-organizing to stop tropical deforestation. Non-profits, forest communities, governors, presidents, consultants, and scientists are working to usher in this ground-breaking plan for saving rainforests. Others are equally determined to prevent a REDD fiasco, citing the problems already noted with particular concerns about REDD’s impact on indigenous peoples and on the global price of emitting carbon dioxide.

Healthy forest and recently cleared forest adjacent to Tanjung Puting National Park in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Photos Rhett Butler

But for now, the overwhelming momentum points to several new policy mechanisms that would pay developing countries that can demonstrate credible drops in deforestation rates and carbon emissions. The idea of using carbon finance to pay for reductions in deforestation has been introduced in United States legislation (in a bill that passed the House of Representatives as well as in earlier Senate bills) and in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In other words, REDD proposals are moving ahead in the two mega-forums that matter when it comes to climate change policy. What is left to decide now are the details. As in all things, the details will make a huge difference as to whether REDD will succeed or fail. My future Mongabay.com commentaries will investigate the details, disagreements, and developments of emerging REDD policy proposals. I’ll also explore how the concept of REDD got started in the “voluntary carbon” markets and how proposed policies could dramatically hurt or help these early efforts to make saving tropical forests more profitable than tearing them down. With the United States and the United Nations scrambling to complete new agreements to limit greenhouse gas emissions, this year will be monumental for climate change and tropical forests, one way or another. So far, the signs are dramatically positive but there are many obstacles yet to overcome.

John-O Niles is the Director of the Tropical Forest Group, a non-profit that "catalyzes policy, science and advocacy to conserve and restore the planet’s remaining tropical forests."This is the first in a series of tropical forest policy commentaries John-O Niles will be writing for Mongabay.com leading up to the December U.N. climate meeting in Copenhagen.

Senin, 29 Juni 2009

Ekowisata Malinau

Pesona Wisata dan Budaya Malinau

Mohamad Rayan. Klipping

Rosdianah Dewi
Air Panas Semolon, salah satu kekayaan alam yang belum tereksplorasi denga baik. Air panas tersebut berlokasi di Kabupaten Malinau, Kalimantan Timur
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Minggu, 28 Juni 2009 11:44 WIB
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Selama ini dunia intenasional hanya mengenal Bali sebagai salah satu tujuan utama pariwisata mereka. Padahal Indonesia tidak hanya Bali, masih banyak tempat-tempat lain yang memilki keindahan alam yang tak kalah cantiknya dengan Bali.
Salah satu derah yang juga tak kalah eksotisnya adalah, Kabupaten Malinau, Kalimantan Timur. Malinau merupakan kabupaten terbesar di Kalimantan Timur dan berbatasan langsung dengan Serawak, Malaysia.

Untuk memperkenalkan keindahan alam yang ada di Malinau kepada masyarakat luas, Pemerintah daerah kabupaten Malinau, Minggu ( 28/6 )menggelar pesona wisata dan kebudayaan Kabupaten Malinau, di Anjungan Kalimantan Timur, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.
M. Peter Yadi, PLT Kabag Humas dan Protokol Pemda Kabupaten Malinau, menerangkan, acara tersebut juga sejalan dengan program pemda Kalimantan Timur yang belum lama ini mencanangkan Visit East Borneo.

"Dalam acara ini, akan ditampilkan tari-tarian khas Malinau yang kesemua penarinya didatangkan langsung dari Malinau. Selain itu, ada juga stan yang menjual produk-produk khas Malinau, seperti tas rajutan, keripik buah, sampai madu asli Malinau," terang Peter, saat di temui di Ajungan Kalimantan Timur, TMII, Jakarta, Minggu ( 28/6 ). Pada pagelaran tersebut, hadir juga Bupati Malinau, Martin Bila , dan beberapa Duta Besar dari negara sahabat.

Acara tersebut juga dimaksudkan untuk memperkenalkan berbagai pariwisata alam yang dimiliki oleh kabupaten Malinau, seperti arus liar yang ada di sungai sungai tugu dan sungai Bahaowulu, air terjun Martin Bila, air panas Semolon. "Masyarakat dapat melihat rumah adat asli dari masyarakat Malinau atau biasa di sebut Lamin Adat. Ada juga kuburan batu yang sudah ada beratus-ratus tahun lalu," ujarnya.

Selain itu, kata Peter, karena Malinau satu-satu kabupaten yang memproklamirkan diri sebagai kapubaten konservasi, dengan demikian wisatawan dapat menikmati berbagai kekayaan flora dan fauna yang tidak dimiliki daerah lain. "Ada juga tempat penelitian laut Birai, tempat penelitian flora dan fauan Kain mentarang," terangnya.
Peter menerangkan untuk saat ini, jumlah wisatawan yang datang masih sangat sedikit. "Kebanyakan adalah peneliti asing, sekitar 20 orang pertahun. Sedangkan untuk wisatan domestik lebih sedikit lagi," ujarnya.

Hal tersebut, lanjutnya, disebabkan membutuhkan waktu yang lama untuk sampai di Malinau, terlebih jika melalui jalur darat. "Kalau dari bandara Internasional di Balik Papan, kita harus transit dulu di Tarakan baru melanjutkan dengan pesawat kecil. Kalau melalui jalur darat, dari ibu kota propinsi butuh waktu 24 jam. Dan itu juga harus menggunakan jalur off road," lontar dia.

Dengan digelarnya acara ini, Peter mewakili Pemda Kabupaten Malinau berharap, semakin banyak pengunjung yang datang ke Malinau, ia juga menghimbau agar pemerintah pusat lebih memperhatikan kekayaan yang ada di Malinau. "Malinau mempunyai nilai ekonomis yang tinggi, jika dieksplorasi lagi akan banyak membawa keuntungan bagi banyak pihak," tandasnya.

Selasa, 23 Juni 2009

Claiming village traditional forest, two ethnic Dayak closed to clashing

Mohamad Rayan. Translator.

Rakyat Merdeka. February 2007

Due to the boundary claimed as traditional land, two villages were in the brink of clashing that is Respen Tubu village and Sentaban, East Kalimantan.

Even, the village clash did not happened, the punching of one of the village resident in the dispute did occur at the traditional leaders meeting of the two villagers on Friday 9 February 2007.

Because of the punching, the victim brought to clinic Mentarang due to bleeding nose. Even though there was agreement for both villagers to keep emotion down during the meeting. It was also suggested by both village leaders to keep calm.

Traditional leader of Dayak Merau, Atong Aran with one resident said the problem aroused out of unhappiness of their group due to the boundary of the forest claimed by them. “This disputed boundary claimed as traditional forest is in the area of PT Batu Karang Sakti. They (Seturan 4 dayak ethnicities) thought the decision to allow the logging company to operate in the traditional forest is only one ethnicities (Punan) without telling the other ethnicities.”

“This decision is only by one ethnicity only, but actually there are (in Seturan) ethnicities dayak of Abay, Merap, Merau, Bilau and Punan, they are all related.”

Feeling that the decision on allowing the company is done by one ethnicity, the other ethnicities are not approving. According to Atong Aran, they are requesting that the other 4 ethnicities be involved with in every decision on traditional people rights.

They also acknowledged that before the logging company entered to location, village residents never received the explanation on the planning of the company going to the community traditional forest.

“At the beginning there was no notification to us. May be the company only informed only the undeveloped ethnic Punan” explained Atong Aran.

That is why from 4 ethnicities lived in Sentaban village, expecting this problem be resolved in family spirit.

If it cannot be solved in this meeting now, they suggest the company which is operating now be terminated temporarily until there is agreement.

“We are not expecting the community be suffering and became victims. If the problem is between community and the government, or the community and the company, the conflict is still resolvable. But if the conflict happened between communities, it could end up in chasing each other and caused the riot like yesterday, he said”

Budiansyah, the representative of PT BKS conceded that it has informed the community including government before operating.

However, after 3 months in operation, there is new problem from a group of claiming the area as their area.

He was also present as a good listener on this conflict of area ownership by several groups who are claiming and counter-claiming with the size of the area is 47.000 ha. Budiansyah is also looking for the truth.

“We have done a socialisation to one of the village at the district government, however other community complained on this problem.

The complainers had also reported the case to sub district Police for requesting to organize a meeting and in that meeting i will be present for finding which party is the right one,” said Budiansyah when questioned in the front of Mentarang sub district police station Friday 9 January 2007.

Meanwhile the acting sub district head, Marson R Langub after leading a meeting from the two disputing group confessed still confused. Ida/jpnn

Sumber: http://www.rakyatmerdeka.co.id/indexframe.php?url=nusantara/index.php?q=news&id=4460

Translated by Rayan 23 June 2009.

Dayak, Ethnicities and Conflicts

Mohamad Rayan. Reporting.


Malinau. Simmering under the surface in Malinau is fragile ethnicities relationship. This is latest update report from the conservation district. It would not be a long report.



Well, it started as usual when Marcus and i came to ask the question on any conflicts with the neighbouring villages, the Setarap leader confessed that they have problems with Setulang village and Punan Setarap. Couple days later Setulang leaders informed me that they are having negotiation meeting on disputed area for farming with Setarap residents. The disputed area issue is not resolved yet. The area is disputed due to the fact there will be a palm oil plantation planning to open near the disputed area. This will be reported in the next report in Konservasiindonesia (KI).


Actually the report by Cifor on their study of village boundary couple years ago before they ceased program in Malinau, there always be potential conflicts on the ground. And at the core of the conflict normally there is issue of economic interest such when mining or logging company wanted to open the operation in an area.


In this desk report, i would just paste the translation i did from a newspaper article in February 2007 below and previous article in KI.


Claiming village traditional forest, two ethnic Dayak closed to clashing

Mohamad Rayan. Translator.

Rakyat Merdeka. February 2007


Due to the boundary claimed as traditional land, two villages were in the brink of clashing that is Respen Tubu village and Sentaban, East Kalimantan.

Even, the village clash did not happened, the punching of one of the village resident in the dispute did occur at the traditional leaders meeting of the two villagers on Friday 9 February 2007.

Because of the punching, the victim brought to clinic Mentarang due to bleeding nose. Even though there was agreement for both villagers to keep emotion down during the meeting. It was also suggested by both village leaders to keep calm.

Traditional leader of Dayak Merau, Atong Aran with one resident said the problem aroused out of unhappiness of their group due to the boundary of the forest claimed by them. “This disputed boundary claimed as traditional forest is in the area of PT BKS. They (Seturan 4 dayak ethnicities) thought the decision to allow the logging to operate in the traditional forest is only one ethnicities (Punan) without telling the other ethnicities.”

“This decision is only by one ethnicity only, but actually there are (in Seturan) ethnicities dayak of Abay, Merap, Merau, Bilau and Punan, they are all related.”

Feeling that the decision on allowing the company is done by one ethnicity, the other ethnicities are not approving. According to Atong Aran, they are requesting that the other 4 ethnicities be involved with in every decision on traditional people rights.

They also acknowledged that before the logging company entered to location, village residents never received the explanation on the planning of the company going to the community traditional forest.

“At the beginning there was no notification to us. May be the company only informed only the undeveloped ethnic Punan” explained Atong Aran.
That is why from 4 ethnicities lived in Sentaban village, expecting this problem be resolved in family spirit.

If it cannot be solved in this meeting now, they suggest the company which is operating now be terminated temporarily until there is agreement.


“We are not expecting the community be suffering and became victims. If the problem is between community and the government, or the community and the company, the conflict is still resolvable. But if the conflict happened between communities, it could end up in chasing each other and caused the riot like yesterday, he said”

Budiansyah, the representative of PT BKS conceded that it has informed the community including government before operating.

However, after 3 months in operation, there is new problem from a group of claiming the area as their area.

He was also present as a good listener on this conflict of area ownership by several groups who are claiming and counter-claiming with the size of the area is 47.000 ha. Budiansyah is also looking for the truth.

“We have done a socialisation to one of the village at the district government, however other community complained on this problem.

The complainers had also reported the case to sub district Police for requesting to organize a meeting and in that meeting i will be present for finding which party is the right one,” said Budiansyah when questioned in the front of Mentarang sub district police station Friday 9 January 2007.

Meanwhile the acting sub district head, Marson R Langub after leading a meeting from the two disputing group confessed still confused. Ida/jpnn


Sumber: http://www.rakyatmerdeka.co.id/indexframe.php?url=nusantara/index.php?q=news&id=4460



Translated by Rayan 23 June 2009.

Senin, 22 Juni 2009

Story of Viat

Mohamad Rayan, Malinau

The story of viat began when Marcus and i went visiting Punan Setarap village at the beginning of the end of May 2009. it was a hot day when we arrive at the village. We were accompany by Long Kebinu resident who stirred the Ketingting for us to reach Setarap and Punan setarap villages.


In Setarap village we did our routine survey of the village demography. It was normal answers we receive from them on population, on education, on health, on diet, on livelihoods, logging activities, on occupation, on village harmony etc, etc, etc.

On the issue of border harmony, they explained that they informed us that some of their old residents decided to move out and set their own village. Since most of deciding to move out are of the Punan dayak ethnicities, hence the village is known Punan setarap village. According to Setarap leader, they decide to move to have more independence in managing themselves.

We walked along Punan Setarap people and asked for the residence of the head of the village. Several Punan kids pointed to the house on the top of the hill. Yes, most of the village in Malinau are built along Malinau river in East Kalimantan. And Punan Setarap is in the top of the hill.


We were welcomed by the head of the village, Alan Laing. His father is Ruit Laing as the traditional village leader. He was 1.60 metres or less and his physic fits to its height. He was open but reserved in answering our questions. Mind you he is getting nearly 200 questions from us.


May be from the name, we would guess they are already modernised. Yes, they have TV and with satelite dishes. However the village only have two generators to bring electricity to the village.

On the question of their name, ah, what is in the name. The dayak now have modern name such as Marcus, Ramses, Dany etc because the Protestant missionary had been here since 1960s maybe since the Dutch colonilization time. Beside the Protestant, there is also Catholic among Dayak population in Malinau.


In Punan Setarap the village we visited, there exists only Catholic Church catering for 187 people. There is a primary school with local teacher only.

Not long, his wife brought the coffee out to us. The coffee is the harvest from their own farm. Their ladang is across the river. Marcus loved the coffee. It seems coffee fits to the climate and easy to plant and not too much maintainance. It could be argued the coffee introduction by government for livelihoods is a success story.


Toward the end of discussion, Mr. Alan Laing, told us the story of Viat. It is a creature of tiger look alike. Marcus was startled and wanted to know more. It could be a finding like they were finding Pygmy Elephants. The Viat is siluman, changing form. It could be human look alike and could also be tiger look alike.

Is there Viat? I wonder.

Rayan in Malinau


Pembantain Orangutan di Kalimantan

Pembatain Orangutan

Mohamad Rayan M.Ec

Pembantaian Orangutan menjadi berita besar di London, Inggris. Berita ini dimuat oleh Koran Inggris, Daily Exprees, UK pada tanggal 28 Mei 2009.

Dalam laporan itu diberitakan pembantain orangutan di Indonesia terutama di Kalimantan. Adapun aktor pembantaian adalah pembuka-pembuka lahan untuk perkebunan kelapa sawit yang berlebihan. Dengan proses yang tidak terkontrol ini dalam satu dekade kedepan orang-utan akan punah. Pembuka lahan membunuh orangutan karena dianggap sebagai hama penganggu.

Didalam berita itu juga digambarkan keserakaan pemangku kepentingan (stakeholder) dalam membuka lahan kelapa sawit. Adapun argumennya adalah sebenarnya kelapa sawit bisa ditanam dilahan yang sudah rusak atau bekas HPH, namun hampir semua izin pembukaan lahan kelapa sawit di berikan di daerah yang masih ada hutan alam.

Jelas keserakaan untuk mengambil keuntungan y ang berlebihan dalam proses pembukaan lahan perkebunan kelapa sawit ini. Dengan membuka lahan dari hutan alam si pengusaha mendapatkan kayu yang hampir ratusan tahun umurnya dipotong dan dijual untuk produk kayu. Kiat lama yang dipakai baron kayu ketika pada zaman order baru. Rupanya kiat ini masih berlangsung. Pasti semua kebagian toh. Malah lebih serakah lagi, setelah diambil kayunya, perkebunan ditinggal. Inilah yang menyebabkan pembantaian orangutan yang tinggal dihutan alam dan hutan hujan tropis.

Hutan hujan tropis penting untuk menyealamatkan orang-utan terutama hutan tropis di Kalimantan dimana 90% orang-utan masih hidup. Selain intu hutan hujan tropis penting untuk menjaga kesehatan planet bumi. Hutan ini mecegah pemanasan bumi dengan mengabsorbsi karbondioksida, bagian penting dari siklus air dan pencegah kekeringan. Di hutan hujan tropis ada juga 420 spesies burung, 210 mamalia, 254 reptilia dan 368 jenis ikan airtawar.

Jumlah populasi orang-utan menurut data Direktorat Perlindungan Hutan dan konservasi Alam diperkirakan ada 61,234. Dari jumlah tersebut 54,567 hidup di Pulau Kalimantan dan 6,667 di pulau Sumatera. Lebih rinci lagi ada 4,825 orangutan di Kaltim, 31,300 di Kalteng, 7,425 di Kalbar, Serawak dan Sabah. Di Sumatera, orangutan ada 43 di Seulawah, 103 Aceh Barat, Aceh Timur (337), Leuser Barat (2,508), Sidiangkat (134), Leuser Timur(1,042), Tripa (280), Trumon-Singkil (1,500), Rawa Singkil Timur (160), Batang Toru Barat (400) dan Sarulla Timur(150).

Willie Smits, pendiri Borneo Orang-utan Survival foundation, telah menampung 1000 orangutan di pusat rehabilitasi orang-utan. Orangutan yang ditampung adalah korban dari pembukaan perkebunanan kelapa sawit di Kalimantan. Industri kelapa sawit dunia beromsetkan 14 miliar poundsterling.

Lone droscher-nielsen, salah satu pejuang orang-utan, mantan pramugari Swiss Airline SAS menjaga 600 orangutan di Nyaru meneteng Centre di Kalteng. Lone mengatakan akibat pembukaan lahan kelapa sawit, setiap 30 detik hutan hujan tropis dibabat sebesar satu lapangan bola. Seabad lalu ada 300,000 orang utan, dalam sepuluh tahun kedepan mereka akan punah.
Dalam memitigasi kemusnahan orang-utan, pemerintah telah merencanakan beberapa program.

Program-program tersebut adalah pendidikan konservasi, penelitian mengenai konservasi orangutan yang berkesinambungan, meningkatkan kerjasama dengan masyarakat lingkungan, membentuk forum untuk memonitor penegakan peraturan, pengaturan penebangan pada habitat orangutan, mengeluarkan undang-undang melarang pertambangan di kawasan habitat orangutan dan penegakan hukum dan patroli melawan penyeledup satwa seperi di laporkan di Koran The Jakarta Post tanggal 13 Juni 2008. Semuakan akan dicapai pada tahun 2017. Rencana memang bagus tapi kenyataanya kita tunggu.

Salam Konservasiindonesia

Sabtu, 20 Juni 2009

A Green Policy for Aceh

A green policy for Aceh

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 06/14/2007 9:21 AM Opinion
Mohamad Rayan, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Aceh Governor Irwandi Jusuf declared a moratorium on logging on June 6 as part of efforts to develop a new long-term forest management strategy.

This is first installment for his environment policy -- and it's definitely a big chunk of it.
Furthermore, his environment policy is a part his economic policy.

The moratorium means logging will cease for a certain period of time in the province.
But can the policy be sustainable amid such high demands for woods and in light of the massive reconstruction project taking place in the province?
And what about community needs for wood?
Who is policing the moratorium?
Or what about the livelihoods of the community close to the forest?

On one hand, the moratorium is a brave, innovative and made with strong political will.
But on the other hand, the governor has not published his environment policy because the other side of the coin is the exploration and exploitation of natural resources outside the forest.
The reasons given for the long-term forest management policy include the disasters caused by unchecked forest exploitation.

Unchecked forest exploitation has caused flooding and land slides and has resulted in a spate of incidents involving angry animals.

Given these reasons, the moratorium is much-needed.
The moratorium can be divided into three strategic plans.

First is the redesign and evaluation of the forest areas and the logging permits.
This will need the revision of spatial management to be in line with projected needs around sustainable development.

And these needs should incorporate social, economic and ecological issues.
The permits will be reviewed for size and concession and this means there will be rationalization for the forest industry.

The industry needs to adjust to the availability of raw materials.
The industry also has to develop non-wood products.
The second strategic plan should involve reforestation to uplift the rehabilitation of the forest and its resources.

And to manage this reforestation, the government will need to find funds to carry out the tasks.
The third strategic plan is a reduction on the rate of deforestation.

The first step here is law enforcement. Then the government needs to put a system in place for the protection of the forest -- and that system must be efficient and effective.

These three strategic plans make up part the master plan for the management of Aceh's forests.
The governor however is yet to issue a more comprehensive environment policy.

Aceh has three percent of Indonesia's forests and water, where 55 percent are protected forests, 25 percent are conserved forests and 20 percent are production forests.
Aceh needs a system for environmental protection. But any policy should fully involve the people.

A policy without involving the local community will stop halfway.
For instance, the governor's moratorium on logging did make media headlines, but a couple months after the announcement, the logging will probably start again.

Without significant compensation, people will be tempted to take short cuts and they will practice illegal logging again -- especially if there is good money in it.
According to local conservation NGO Walhi Aceh, illegal logging destroyed an area four times the size of Singapore between 2005 and 2006.

This will continue without an environment policy that includes community participation and involvement.
The Aceh governor believes high economic growth can be achieved with direct foreign investment.

And there have been many countries such as Malaysia, Korea, United States, Thailand and Sweden who have expressed an interest in investing in the province.
In the exploration and the exploitation of mining, Walhi Aceh recorded 14 coal mining companies in the area of Nagan Raya, West Aceh and Aceh Jaya.

The area of exploration has been recorded at 92.034 ha, with 17 gold mining companies exploring the area of Nagan raya, South Aceh, West Aceh, Aceh Jaya and Pidie.
And with the opening of more palm oil plantations as well as other plantations and resources explorations, a comprehensive environment is urgently needed.

But how can conservation bring revenue to the government? The way to do it is to link the environment policy to the international environment issues and protocol.
Through its governor, Aceh can sell the conservation of the protected forest and other conserved forest in exchange for the global funds for the program.
So the moratorium of all logging is just the beginning.

The writer is Aceh specialist and Provincial Program Manager UNFPA-NAD.This is a private opinion

Jumat, 19 Juni 2009

Massacre of Orangutans.

MASSACRE OF THE APES

Daily Express U.K

Monday May 18,2009
By Nigel Blundell

DESPITE a new population of orang-utans being found in Indonesia recently conservationists believe these amazing creatures could be wiped out within a decade thanks to the £14bn palm oil industry .

We find it in bread, cereals and cakes, chocolates and frozen foods, even in soap powder. Soon we will be urged to run our cars on it. The ingredient is palm oil. it is the cheapest form of cooking oil and, since it is also being hailed as the biofuel of the future, it’s a worldwide growth industry beyond compare. But though the cost seems cheap the true price being paid is devastation on an unprecedented scale.

Such is the race to clear the land for palm oil plantations that entire rain forests are doomed – along with the animals that live in them. it is no longer scare-mongering to forecast that the orang-utan, one of man’s closest cousins, will be wiped out in the wild within a decade. “It’s not just cruel it’s criminal,” says Faith Doherty, a senior campaigner for the UK-based environmental investigation Agency (EIA).

“The last strong-holds of Asia’s only great ape are being devastated by loggers and plantation owners, many of whom are acting illegally and out of sheer greed. We as consumers bear some responsibility for that”.

‘They’re so much like us yet we’re wiping them out’

So in a supreme irony the drive to save the world from global warming by promoting palm oil is actually helping destroy it. The part of the globe that is moving most swiftly to supply us with the oil is indonesia and Malaysia. The result is that within 15 years only two per cent of the rainforests of those nations will be left.

Long before the rainforests vanish so will some of the world’s most important wildlife species. These include the Asian elephant, the Sumatran tiger and the orang-utan, which shares 97 per cent of human DNA. These red-haired “people of the forest”, as the natives call them, are under tremendous pressure through habitat loss because the lowland jungles where they live have been the first to go. Plantation owners kill them as pests

because they eat their plants and poachers hunt them for bush meat and sell the young as pets. And while last month’s discovery of 219 orang-utan nests in a remote corner of indonesia have given a rare boost to the endangered species, there is little hope of reversing the situation. “in reality it’s already over for the orang-utan,” says Willie Smits, who has fought to save the creatures for 20 years. “Their entire lowland forest habitat is gone and now the hunters have moved in we find their corpses decapitated or burned. Hunters are paid the equivalent of £8 for the right hand of an orang-utan to prove they’ve killed them.” Willie, founder of the largest primate rescue organisation in the world, Borneo Orang-utan Survival foundation, runs two centres housing 1,000 of the creatures, most rescued from palm oil plantations.

But once rehabilitated they cannot be released into the wild as it is not safe. Another orang-utan saviour, Lone droscher-nielsen, has been forced to relocate her centre’s creatures to a remote island to save them from annihilation. She says: “This is orang-utan genocide. They are among our closest relatives yet we humans are killing them by the thousand. If only people in the West could understand what is happening here in Borneo. The demand for palm oil is devastating the rainforests, which are being destroyed at the rate of one football field every 30 seconds.”

Rainforests are vital for the planet’s health. They curb global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide and, being an important part of the water cycle, prevent droughts. They shelter 420 species of bird, 210 species of mammal, 254 species of reptile and 368 species of freshwater fish. Lone, who quit her job as an air hostess to join Borneo Orang-utan Survival foundation, has 600 orang-utans in her care at the Nyaru Menteng centre. “Most of those we take in are orphans whose mothers have been slaughtered by palm oil planters,” she says. “Orang-utans are so much like us. They are highly intelligent, can solve simple problems and there is an immensely strong bond between mother and child that lasts for the first eight years of a baby’s life. Yet we are allowing them to be wiped out. A century ago there were 300,000 Bornean orang-utans. If nothing is done there will not be a single one left in the wild within five to 10 years. Yet demand for palm oil grows. Is nobody listening?” Lone’s dedication to the orang-utans began 14 years ago while she was a flight attendant with Swiss airline SAS. She only intended to be a short-term volunteer but became so fascinated with the animals that in 1993 she moved to Borneo permanently. “I fell in love with them,” she says. “So much so that I have abandoned any wish to have my own children.” Her centre in Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) has rehabilitated hundreds of orphans. It is run like a kinder garten because newcomers need 24-hour care. Lone employs 80 Indonesians, women as “babysitters” for infants and men caring for the older orphans. The aim of the project is to hone the animals’ survival skills.

Butsince there are no longer safe areas of the forest in which to free them funds were raised to buy a 100-acre offshore sanctuary, to which the young are introduced at the age of eight in batches of about 25. Their first faltering steps, filmed for the recent Animal Planet TV series Orang-utan Island are a glimmer of hope for the creatures. But Lone concedes that their island existence is only “semi wild”. It is too small to be a full-scale sanctuary and the orang-utans there will have to be closely monitored. The fact that they can no longer roam freely is purely down to the palm oil boom. The tragedy in the view of conservationists is that the devastation of the jungle for the creation of the palm oil plantations is unnecessary. “There is no need for continual destruction of the rainforests,” says Lone.

“There is already open grass- land that can be used for this purpose. But we need pressure from the international community to tackle a problem that will ultimately affect every human being on earth. We must not give up the fight to protect the rainforests, the orang utans and, ultimately, ourselves. “Consumers can play their part by putting pressure on companies that use palm oil in their products and persuading them to source oil which has been produced by environmentally-friendly methods.” According to recent findings the UK is now Europe’s biggest importer of palm oil. Manufacturers use the ingredient (usually labelled as “vegetable oil”) to bind and bulk out chocolate, biscuits, bread and spreads. Palm oil is a £14billion global industry and an international organisation has been set up to try to ensure that manufacturers use oil that comes only from “sustainable” plantations.

Yet the Roundtable On Sustainable Palm Oil certifies only four per cent of world production as being “sustainable”. The rest comes from the destruction of rainforests. More than 30million tons a year – about 85 per cent of the global supply – is exported from the vast islands of Borneo and Sumatra, which form parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. Conservationists believe the rush to create this “green fuel” is often an excuse for loggers to make a quick killing. The hardwood trees are felled, the timber sold and the palm oil is merely an after-thought. The corruption behind this land grab is rife and timber barons will go to any lengths to protect their illegal trade. The EIA’s Faith Doherty was kidnapped and beaten during a mission to expose them. She was seized at gunpoint nine years ago in Tanjung Puting National Park, central Kalimantan. It is supposed to be a safe haven for orang-utans but she discovered illegal logging in the park. “That shows the power of the timber barons,” she says. “It is incredibly dangerous to investigate them. I was on an undercover mission when I was kidnapped, held for four days and beaten up.

My fingers were broken and I had a gun to my head as they ordered me to retract an EIA report I had made about their activities. I refused and was lucky to be freed. It was no use looking to the police for help, they were in cahoots. That’s the problem: bad governments and corruption right down the chain. “The land turned over to palm oil plantation owners is supposed to be ‘degraded land’. They’re not even supposed to be in the rainforest at all. What they’re doing is quite simply illegal. It is a crime that the orang-utans are under serious threat and if we don’t act now we’ll lose them forever.” To learn about the orang-utans’ plight visit www.eia-international.com, www.savetheorangutan.org.uk and www.wspa.org.uk

Kamis, 18 Juni 2009

Dayak Diet Caused Orangutan Extinct in Malinau

Mohamad Rayan. Malinau.


Dayak eats orangutan! Sure, who said that i questioned him. He answered i tell you the story.


Marcus and i had been in the field in Malinau for nearly 6 weeks. This is the first time we heard that Dayak eats orangutan. Our catch phrase before was "Punan eats everything". Dayak Punan stated to us that they eat every animals in their forest near Bintang mountain in Malinau. And we realized that there was no orangutan near Malinau city even Malinau district.


When we asked the questions what do they hunt for? The Punan Dayak in Punan Setarap village answered: bores, deer, bear, anteaters, porcupine etc. And then we asked do you eat monkeys. The answer yes, we eats monkeys. Wow, we said, interesting. It tasted ok. Yes.


Well, questioning Dayak community on the issue of what they hunt, how they gets their protein, it was always a suprise coming from the answers. The Punan Dayak is the most extreme on this habit of consuming animals. Kenyah people also revealed they enjoyed most of the animals in the forest, but the Kenyah are now more connected to the community and the development symbolized with the regent is from Dayak Kenyah line.


Kenyah, Lun Dayeh, Brusu, Long Alango etc consume most of the animals in the forest. They also do a lot fishing inside the forest in the creeks inside the forest with crystal clear water. With the clear water, it is easier for them to catch and fish the fish in the river.


This topic does have a big question to be answered, why was the orangutan disappeared from Malinau. Well, according to reports and ground check in community they have known, may be some of them tasted the meat of orangutan. So is it the dayak diet cauased the extinction of orangutan in Malinau? Or is it the disappearing forest of malinau? Or is it the topography of Malinau, which is hilly and mountainous.


The current orangutan population according to the directorate general for forest protection and nature conservation is believed to be 61,234, according to data from the directorate general. Most are found in the forests of Borneo (54,567), with the remainder in Sumatra (6,667). In Borneo, orangutans are found in East Kalimantan (4,825), Central Kalimantan (31,300), West Kalimantan including the neighboring Malaysian state of Sarawak (7,425) and the Malaysian state of Sabah (11,017). In Sumatra, orangutans are found in Seulawah (43), West Central Aceh (103), East Central Aceh (337), West Leuser (2,508), Sidiangkat (134), East Leyser (1,042), Tripa Swamp (280), Trumon-Singkil (1,500), East Rawa Singkil (160), West Batang Toru (400) and East Sarulla (150).


Kalimantan has been studied, surveyed and travelled by local scientists or international expert since 1800s. However, there was no study or firmed answer why there is no orangutan in Malinau. However, it was reported that a study suggested in Serawak, 10.000 years ago, it was found in the cave in Serawak bones of orangutan had been consumed by the human. It was also reported that the pigs is the most frequent animals eaten by homo sapiens. The book was written by Leobert E M De Boer in 1982. The title is The Orangutan, Its Biology and Conservation.


So in the question of is it the diet of Dayak caused the extinction of Orangutan, the answer could be yes. Iban tribe in Serawak, had the culture that is taboo to eat orangutan, then they still have the population of orangutan. So it could be the culture of eating orangutan causing the extinction of orangutan in Malinau.


In Aceh conflicts, there were a lot of orangutans are got shot intentionally or unintentionally, yet they still survived. So human conflicts or conflicts human and primate did not caused the extinction.

Climate is not possible causing the extinction of orangutan as proved by the finding of Black Orangutan in Sangkurilang in East Kalimantan."So yes, finding a population that science did not know about is significant, especially one of this size," Birute Mary Galdikas, a Canadian scientist said, noting that those found on the eastern part of the island represent a rare subspecies, the black Borneon orangutan, or Pongo pygmaeus morio.


The 700-square mile (2,500-square kilometer) jungle escaped the massive fires that devastated almost all of the surrounding forests in the late 1990s. The blazes were set by plantation owners and small-scale farmers and exacerbated by the El Nino droughts.Nardiyono, who headed The Nature Conservancy's weeklong survey in December, said "it could be the density is very high because after the fires, the orangutans all flocked to one small area" as reported in The Jakarta Post 14 April 2009. The area is high in the mountain near Sangkurilang, East Kalimantan. The finding also approved that temperature and topography of the area do not caused the extinction.


The post also reported that there are an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans left in the wild, 90 percent of them in Indonesia and the rest in neighboring Malaysia.The countries are the world's top producers of palm oil, used in food, cosmetics and to meet growing demands for "clean-burning" fuels in the U.S. and Europe. Rain forests, where the solitary animals spend almost all of their time, have been clear-cut and burned at alarming rates to make way for lucrative palm oil plantations.


The explanation of vegetation in Malinau caused the disappering of orangutan. It could not be used because the existence of orangutan in Kutai where they have same lowland as in Malinau lowland, there exists orangutan. However this opinion is being rejected by Toni Suhartono, director of biological diversity conservation at the Forestry Ministry. According to him that the habitat loss due to forest destruction was the main cause of the reduction in the numbers of orangutans, compounded by less significant factors such as human-animal conflicts as reported on The Jakarta Post 13 April 2009.

For orangutan experts, the cause of the extinction in the past, present and future is clear cut. “The last strong-holds of Asia’s only great ape are being devastated by loggers and plantation owners, many of whom are acting illegally and out of sheer greed. We as consumers bear some responsibility for that”says Faith Doherty, a senior campaigner for the UK-based environmental investigation Agency (EIA) in Daily Express on 28 May 2009.



So back to the beginning of the story, the statement "Dayak eats orangutan" was made by one of the officer working in Kayan Mentarang National Park (KMNP). He told us that they had a program of moving back orangutan to Malinau. The two places targeted was Rian Tubu, South West of Malinau city and in Long Alango, in the west of Malinau City.


After further study and discussion, they choosed Long Alango forest inside Kayan Mentarang National Park. However, to double check, the team from KMNP asked the community in Long Alango village for their opinion. And during that discussion, some of the community disagreed with the program by saying that they used to be orangutan in the area, then they were extinct becaused most of them were hunted and consumed. It became well sought and people competed hunting for them. At the end it can caused the conflict inside the community.



Based on that, they rejected the program of re-introduction of orangutan in Long Alango. The community beleives that the reintroduction of orangutan will make people competed again for the meat of orangutan. This will cause conflict and disharmony in the community. At the end the KMNP team decided to drop the program. That was the story told by Pak Bisnu, an official in KMNP. I beleive this is the reason why the animal extinct in Malinau. Dayak's diet caused the extinction of orangutan in Malinau or in Kalimantan in the future as one of the main factor.


On the brighter note the govenment had prepared programs to save the fate of orangutan. They include conservation education, research on sustainable orangutan conservation, improving cooperation with environmental groups, setting up a forum to monitor enforcement of regulations, arranging a logging schedule in orangutan habitat, issuing a law against mining in habitat areas, law enforcement and patrols against poachers as reported by The Jakarta Post 13 June 2008. All will be completed in 2017. It sounds good. We also hope it turns out to be good.

Rabu, 17 Juni 2009

Forest Carbon

Rich countries have ‘double duty’: Oxfam

Klipping: Mohamad Rayan

Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Wed, 06/17/2009 9:11 AM National
With climate talks on financing methods remaining unsettled, Oxfam International proposed a non-market-based mechanism requiring rich nations to perform a “double duty”: Pay developing countries to mitigate climate change and cut their own greenhouse gas emissions.

Under Oxfam’s Global Mitigation and Finance Mechanism, recipient countries with a per capita purchasing power of less than US$1,000 a year have no binding targets to cut their emissions.
Oxfam predicted that rich nations should allocate at least $150 billion per year to fund climate change mitigation in developing countries, the main victims of the effects of global warming.

“It is a fair deal that when rich countries keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, they can also deliver resources to help the poor avoid the impact of climate change,” Rully Prayoga, Oxfam International climate campaigner for the East Asian region told reporters on Tuesday.

“Indonesia, with a per capita purchasing power of about $661 a year, should get full support from Global Mitigation and Finance Mechanism.”

Oxfam proposed the mechanism after climate negotiators remained in a deadlock on financial mechanism issues to fund the mitigation during the recent Bonn climate conference.
Rully said that the rich nations disagreed on whether a mitigation fund would also be allocated to rich oil countries in the Middle East.

“We offer a win-win solution to bridge the expected negotiation deadlock in the upcoming Copenhagen meeting in December. Hopefully, the Indonesian government can take the lead to push the concept to the negotiation table,” Rully said.

“An agreement struck at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in just six months could pave way for a post-2012 climate regime that staves off catastrophic climate change.”
Under the Oxfam mechanism, the wealthier countries like Singapore and Qatar are not eligible to receive the fund.

But, China and India with its huge population living in poverty, should benefit from the Oxfam mechanism.

The rich nations, including the United States have repeatedly asked emerging nations like China, India and Brazil to have legally binding targets for emission cuts.
Under Oxfam’s mechanism, rich nations would need to reduce their emissions to at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

The rich nations are currently required to cut about 5 percent of their greenhouse gas emissions from their 1990 levels to deal with climate change, as stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol however, allows developing countries to host green projects under the clean development mechanism (CDM) to help rich nations meet their binding targets.
Indonesia has about 100 CDM projects but only three of them can receive financing from rich nations.

The international community is currently discussing the forestry mechanism to deal with greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) scheme, Indonesia, as the world’s third-largest forest nation, is set to benefit greatly from carbon trading.
Oxfam’s analysis showed that more than 95 percent of industrialized countries failed to reach their emissions cut target.Under Oxfam’s mechanism, rich nations would need to reduce their emissions to at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

Selasa, 16 Juni 2009

Kondisi Gunung Leuser

Perambah Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser Makin Banyak

Kliping: Mohamad Rayan
/

Selasa, 19 Mei 2009 17:44 WIB
Laporan wartawan KOMPAS Khaerudin
MEDAN, KOMPAS.com — Belum segera dilakukannya relokasi pengungsi di dalam Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser, membuat semakin banyak perambah yang mendatangi kawasan ini. Para perambah berlindung di balik keberadaan pengungsi yang mestinya sudah harus direlokasi ke Solok, Sumatera Barat.

Menurut Kepala Bidang Pengelolaan Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser (TNGL) Wilayah III Stabat Ari Subiantoro, pemerintah pusat dalam hal ini Departemen Kehutanan dan Kantor Kementerian Koordinator Kesejahteraan Rakyat masih belum memutuskan kapan pengungsi TNGL harus direlokasi.

Di sisi lain, menurut Ari, Pemerintah Kabupaten Solok, Sumatera Barat, sudah menyatakan kesediaannya menerima kedatangan 554 keluarga pengungsi yang sejak masa konflik Aceh menetap di dalam kawasan TNGL.

Ari mengungkapkan, nantinya pengungsi direncanakan menetap di areal hutan lindung yang akan diubah menjadi Areal Penggunaan Lain (APL), semacam enclave untuk pengungsi di dalam kawasan hutan lindung tersebut. Pihak Balai Besar TNGL, kata Ari, telah mengirimkan surat ke Menteri Kehutanan agar melepaskan status hutan lindung yang bakal ditempati pengungsi tersebut.

"Jika masing-masing keluarga mendapatkan sekitar 2 hektar lahan, berarti yang harus dilepaskan sekitar 1.000 hektar lebih," ujar Ari di Medan, Selasa (19/5).
Belum adanya kepastian waktu kapan pengungsi di dalam kawasan TNGL ini direlokasi ke Solok, menurut Ari, membuat perambah non-pengungsi banyak berdatangan. Bahkan, kata dia, beberapa perambah ada yang mengadakan transaksi jual beli lahan di areal yang didiami pengungsi.

"Perambah ini berlindung di balik keberadaan pengungsi yang masih mendiami kawasan TNGL," katanya. Padahal sejak tiga tahun terakhir, Balai Besar TNGL beserta aparat penegak hukum dari Kepolisian Resor Langkat memaksa perambah untuk tak lagi mendiami kawasan TNGL. Perkebunan sawit milik perambah maupun orang-orang di luar pengungsi yang berada di dalam kawasan TNGL dihancurkan.

"Kalau dari Balai Besar TNGL jelas kami menginginkan relokasi ini bisa dilakukan secepatnya, sebab jika ditunda-tunda terus, akan semakin banyak perambah yang mendatangi kawasan dan sulit bagi kita menertibkan mereka kembali," ujar Ari.

Pengecualian diberikan kepada pengungsi asal Aceh yang masih mendiami beberapa kawasan di dalam TNGL, seperti Barak Induk, Sei Minyak, dan Damar Hitam. Ketiga wilayah ini berada di Kabupaten Langkat. Pengungsi diperbolehkan mendiami kawasan TNGL meski undang-undang tentang kawasan konservasi melarang kawasan taman nasional didiami masyarakat, apalagi dimanfaatkan sebagai areal perkebunan. Namun, pengungsi hanya diperbolehkan menempati kawasan TNGL hingga mendapatkan areal baru untuk relokasi mereka.

Menurut Petugas Seksi Pengelolaan TNGL Wilayah VI Besitang Ujang Wisnu Barata, meski secara prinsip Departemen Kehutanan menyetujui pelepasan areal hutan lindung di Kabupaten Solok untuk menjadi lokasi baru pengungsi TNGL, tetapi penetapan batas APL dengan kawasan hutan lindung belum dikukuhkan.

"Kami masih menunggu kabar lebih lanjut dari Departemen Kehutanan untuk pengukuhan tapal batas wilayah untuk pengungsi dengan kawasan hutan lindungnya," kata Ujang.

Senin, 15 Juni 2009

Alfred Russel Wallace and Ternate

TWF to promote Wallace to foreign communities
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 06/11/2009 1:13 PM National

The Wallacea Foundation (TWF) is campaigning throughout the Wallacea area to global communities as an effort to realise its plan to set up a biodiversity research center in Ternate, North Maluku.

The maiden campaign is to be held in Beijing during the Indonesian Week on June 17 to 21 followed by an event in Geneva later this year.

"We also aim to build a monument to honor Alfred Russel Wallace," foundation chairman Sangkot Marzuki told reporters Wednesday.

The British naturalist explored the area between 1854 and 1862.
Sangkot said the foundation, set up in 2005 as a merger of the Wallace Development Institute and TWF would promote the area's rich biodiversity, including about 10,000 species of plants, 222 of animals and 647 of birds.

A study by the Conservation International said there were currently about 1,500 endemic species of plants, 49 of threatened birds, 44 of mammals and seven of threatened amphibians in the area due to forest clearing for a government-sponsored transmigration program.
The Ternate city administration announced it would reconstruct the former home of Wallace and designate it as a monument.

In 1858, Wallace inspired Charles Darwin's natural selection theory after he sent Darwin a letter detailing his findings in Ternate.

The letter, attached to his essay On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type, outlined the mechanics of the evolutionary divergence of certain species due to environmental pressures.

While Darwin achieved fame as "the father of evolution", Wallace has remained largely unknown.
Director of public diplomacy at the foreign affairs ministry, Umar Hadi, said his office would support efforts to promote the Wallace area in the international arena.

Orangutan Extinction

Orangutans could face extinction over next 10 years

Apriadi Gunawan , The Jakarta Post , Medan Fri, 06/13/2008 10:03 AM The Archipelago

The number of orangutans could fall by nearly 50 percent over the next decade due to habitat destruction and human-animal conflicts, according to estimates by the directorate general for forest protection and nature conservation.

The current orangutan population is believed to be 61,234, according to data from the directorate general. Most are found in the forests of Borneo (54,567), with the remainder in Sumatra (6,667).

In Borneo, orangutans are found in East Kalimantan (4,825), Central Kalimantan (31,300), West Kalimantan including the neighboring Malaysian state of Sarawak (7,425) and the Malaysian state of Sabah (11,017).

In Sumatra, orangutans are found in Seulawah (43), West Central Aceh (103), East Central Aceh (337), West Leuser (2,508), Sidiangkat (134), East Leyser (1,042), Tripa Swamp (280), Trumon-Singkil (1,500), East Rawa Singkil (160), West Batang Toru (400) and East Sarulla (150).

The orangutan population in Borneo is facing the greatest risk of decline over the next 10 years, said director of biological diversity conservation at the Forestry Ministry, Toni Suhartono.

He said the rapid pace of forest destruction had attributed to habitat loss each year of between 1.5 and 2 percent in Borneo and between 1 and 1.5 percent in Sumatra.

Toni said habitat loss due to forest destruction was the main cause of the reduction in the numbers of orangutans, compounded by less significant factors such as human-animal conflicts.

The government is very concerned about the reduction in the orangutan population, said Toni.

The government has prepared an action plan to preserve habitat in order to keep the orangutan population and habitat in a stable, or even improved, condition.

Toni said the government would focus on a number of efforts in a bid to save orangutans from the threat of extinction.

The programs, due to be completed by 2017, include conservation education, research on sustainable orangutan conservation, improving cooperation with environmental groups, setting up a forum to monitor enforcement of regulations, arranging a logging schedule in orangutan habitat, issuing a law against mining in habitat areas, law enforcement and patrols against poachers.

"The government aims to have all the conservation programs realized by 2017 so as to ensure a sustainable orangutan population and the protection of its habitat," Toni said during a recent workshop organized at the North Sumatra Natural Resources Center in Medan.

About 100 participants from various agencies, higher learning institutes, NGOs and businesses attended the two-day closed-door seminar.

Sumatra Orangutan Conservation Program director, Ian Singleton, who took part in the workshop, expressed doubt the action plans would be achieved by 2017 without effective law enforcement.

According to Singleton, it is essential the Indonesian government include law enforcement in the action plan.

Also necessary, he said, were public awareness campaigns on orangutan conservation and its habitat because many people were still unaware that keeping orangutans as pets was illegal.

"Based on my observations, many orangutans are being kept as pets by certain people, including individuals from the police and military, ironically," Singleton said, adding that of the 120 orangutan confiscations made by authorities, up to 70 percent had involved individuals from the security forces.

Sabtu, 13 Juni 2009

Orangutan hitam, Pongo Pygmaeus Moro di Kaltim?

Berlindung dari Api dan Manusia di Sangkurilang

Sumber: Koran Tempo 04 Mei 2009

Erik dan Nardi sudah menegaskan bahwa jumlah orangutan bukanlah yang terpenting dari temuan Desember tahun lalu di Sangkurilang. Keduanya berpikir yang harus segera dilakukan adalah upaya penyelamatan habitat.

Untuk urusan ini, Edy Sudiono, juga dari TNC, mengungkapkan bahwa sudah ada komitmen dari pemerintah kabupaten setempat untuk memproteksi Sangkulirang. "Sudah ada drafnya," kata dia.

Edy menuturkan, penemuan habitat orangutan ini semestinya bisa menambah keyakinan pemerintah setempat setelah peneliti gabungan di antaranya dari Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia dan Institut Teknologi Bandung pernah menemukan kekayaan gua-gua dengan sejarah peradaban di dalamnya, di antara bukit karst di Sangkulirang.

"Pemerintah harus membuat status baru selain taman nasional ataupun suaka margasatwa karena hutan Sangkulirang memiliki gua-gua bernilai sejarah tinggi di lantainya dan populasi orangutan di dahan pepohonannya," kata Edy memberi saran.

Kawasan hutan yang dikelilingi pegunungan kapur yang didatangi Nerdi dan timnya pada Desember adalah bagian dari daratan Semenanjung Sangkurilang. Secara administratif, kawasan ini terletak di antara Kabupaten Kutai Timur dan Berau, Kalimantan Timur.

Medannya yang terjal bukan cuma menghalangi manusia untuk menjamahnya, tapi juga api. Edy mengatakan, kawasan itu lolos dari dua kali kobaran api kebakaran, masing-masing pada 1992 dan 1997.

Di antara formasi batuan bekas karang berusia 20 juta tahun yang di beberapa tempat bisa menjulang 1450 meter--jauh melampaui kerimbunan tajuk hutan dataran rendah yang mendominasinya--itulah Nardi menduga orangutan membangun kamp. "Bisa jadi Sangkurilang adalah kantong populasi orangutan yang menghindari kebakaran hutan," katanya.

Orangutan hitam, Pongo Pygmaeus Moro di Kaltim?

New orangutan population found

The Associated Press , Jakarta Tue, 04/14/2009 8:43 AM Sci-Tech

In this undated photo released by The Nature Conservancy, an orangutan of a newly found population is seen in Sangkulirang forest on Borneo island, Indonesia. AP/The Nature Conservancy, HO

Conservationists have discovered a new population of orangutans in a remote, mountainous corner of Indonesia - perhaps as many as 2,000 - giving a rare boost to one of the world's most endangered great apes.A team surveying forests nestled between jagged, limestone cliffs on the eastern edge of Borneo island counted 219 orangutan nests, indicating a "substantial" number of the animals, said Erik Meijaard, a senior ecologist at the U.S.-based The Nature Conservancy.

"We can't say for sure how many," he said, but even the most cautious estimate would indicate "several hundred at least, maybe 1,000 or 2,000 even."The team also encountered an adult male, which angrily threw branches as they tried to take photos, and a mother and child.

There are an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans left in the wild, 90 percent of them in Indonesia and the rest in neighboring Malaysia.The countries are the world's top producers of palm oil, used in food, cosmetics and to meet growing demands for "clean-burning" fuels in the U.S. and Europe. Rain forests, where the solitary animals spend almost all of their time, have been clear-cut and burned at alarming rates to make way for lucrative palm oil plantations.

The steep topography, poor soil and general inaccessibility of the rugged limestone mountains appear to have shielded the area from development, at least for now, said Meijaard. Its trees include those highly sought after for commercial timber.Birute Mary Galdikas, a Canadian scientist who has spent nearly four decades studying orangutans in the wild, said most of the remaining populations are small and scattered, which make them especially vulnerable to extinction.

"So yes, finding a population that science did not know about is significant, especially one of this size," she said, noting that those found on the eastern part of the island represent a rare subspecies, the black Borneon orangutan, or Pongo pygmaeus morio.The 700-square mile (2,500-square kilometer) jungle escaped the massive fires that devastated almost all of the surrounding forests in the late 1990s. The blazes were set by plantation owners and small-scale farmers and exacerbated by the El Nino droughts.Nardiyono, who headed The Nature Conservancy's weeklong survey in December, said "it could be the density is very high because after the fires, the orangutans all flocked to one small area."It was unusual to come face-to-face with even one of the elusive creatures in the wild and to encounter three was extraordinary, he said, adding that before this expedition, he had seen just five in as many years.Conservationists say the most immediate next step will be working with local authorities to protect the area and others that fall outside of national parks.

A previously undiscovered population of several hundred also was found recently on Sumatra island, home to around 7,000."That we are still finding new populations indicates that we still have a chance to save this animal," said Paul Hartman, who heads the U.S.-funded Orangutan Conservation Service Program, adding it's not all "gloom and doom."Noviar Andayani, head of the Indonesian Primate Association and Orangutan Forum, said the new discoveries point to how much work still needs to be done to come up with accurate population assessments, considered vital to determining a species' vulnerability to extinction.

"There are many areas that still have not been surveyed," she said, adding that 18 private conservation groups have just started work on an in-depth census based on interviews with people who spend time in the forests.They include villagers and those working on plantations or within logging concessions."We hope this will help fill in a few more gaps," said Andayani, adding that preliminary tests in areas where populations are known indicate that the new interview-based technique could provide a clearer picture than nest tallies."Right now the information and data we have about orangutans is still pretty rudimentary," she said.

Some experts say at the current rate of habitat destruction, the animals could be wiped out within the next two decades.

Tana Ulen di Malinau

Malinau, News & Articles.
Konsep Tana’ Ulen=Bukti Nyata Masyarakat Dayak Melek Konservasi

© WWF-Indonesia/Irza Rinaldi28 May 2009

Oleh: Masayu Yulien Vinanda

Sejak berabad-abad lamanya, masyarakat Dayak sudah mengenal konsep konsrvasi atau yang lebih akrab dengan istilah Tana' Ulen. Dalam wilayah Tana’ Ulen, orang dilarang menebang pohon, membakar hutan, membuat ladang, dan melakukan aktivitas-aktivitas lain yang menimbulkan kerusakan hutan.

Semula Tana’Ulen hanya dimiliki oleh para bangsawan di Long Alango, Long Uli, dan Long Pujungan. Tana’ Ulen sendiri merupakan kawasan hutan rimba yang dilindungi secara adat. Wilayahnya meliputi satu sungai atau beberapa sungai kecil mulai dari muaranya sampai ke ujung-ujung anak sungai di titik mata airnya.

Pengambilan hasil hutan di dalam wilayah Tana’ Ulen diatur dengan ketat. Hasil hutan yang boleh diambil diantaranya gaharu (pohon yang getahnya bisa dimanfaatkan untuk minyak wangi), rotan, kayu manis, buah-buahan, ikan, dan binatang. Pengambilan hasil hutan Tana’ Ulen hanya dimanfaatkan pada waktu-waktu tertentu saja, dan diperuntukkan bagi kepentingan umum, apabila ada kegiatan di desa tersebut.

Sementara untuk konsumsi pribadi masyarakat lokal, seperti makan sehari-hari, mereka boleh mencari ikan, sayuran, atau berburu binatang, tapi dalam jumlah yang dibatasi. Sanksi Adat Efektifkan Upaya KonservasiSanksi adat yang tegas merupakan salah satu kunci keberhasilan konservasi wilayah Tana’ Ulen. Menurut keterangan Sekretaris Desa Long Alango, Trisno, pada tahun 2005 lalu, pernah didapati seseorang yang menggesek kayu di Koala. Karena orang tersebut belum mendapatkan izin dari Kepala Adat, maka ia dikenakan denda satu juta rupiah dan papan kayunya pun disita oleh pemuka adat setempat. Tidak hanya kayu, sumber daya alam lainnya seperti ikan juga tidak lepas dari aturan Tana’ Ulen.

Trisno juga menceritakan kasus pengambilan ikan dengan menggunakan setrum yang pernah terjadi beberapa waktu lalu di Sungai Nggeng. Pelaku dikenakan denda 10 juta rupiah,mesin dan alat setrumnya pun diambil paksa.

Besarnya sanksi yang dikenakan bagi mereka yang “nakal” dan telah merusak kelestarian hutan dan sungai ditentukan oleh musyawarah adat yang dipimpin oleh Kepala Adat Besar. Berdasarkan keterangan dari Camat Bahau Hulu, Unya’ Bawan, sanksi tidak selamanya dalam bentuk uang, bisa juga dalam bentuk barang seperti memberikan parang, mandau, ataupun gong (alat musik pukul tradisional).

Tidak hanya pelanggaran orang perseorangan yang mendapat perhatian hukum adat, aktivitas pengusaha-pengusaha hasil hutan juga diatur secara adat. Aturan adat yang dikeluarkan oleh musyawarah Kepala Desa-Kepala Desa dan Kepala Adat Bahau Hulu membatasi pengusaha dalam memungut hasil hutan seperti gaharu, rotan, kayu manis,dan damar.

Pengusaha-pengusaha hasil hutan dari luar tidak boleh mengambil langsung sumber daya hutan tersebut, tetapi mereka diperbolehkan membeli dari masyarakat dengan izin Bupati. Pengusaha yang masuk Tana’ ulen tanpa izin dikenai denda 500.000 per orang. Sementara ,mereka yang sudah mengantongi izin, harus tetap menyetor pada kas adat sebesar 500.0000.

Rombongan yang masuk Tana’ Ulen maksimum hanya lima orang. Sedangkan untuk batas waktu aktivitas pengusaha tersebut ditentukan oleh Kepala Desa. Ancaman terhadap Tana’ Ulen
Dalam perjalanannya, eksistensi Tana’ Ulen sempat mendapat ancaman. Pasalnya pada tahun 1980 kawasan hulu-hulu Sungai Kayan sampai Sungai Mentarang ditetapkan sebagai cagar alam berdasarkan SK Menteri Pertanian No. 847/Kpts/Um/II/1980, yang luasnya mencapai 1.360.500 ha. Namun pada 1990, Ditjen PHPA berkerjasama dengan WWF-Indonesia dan LIPI mengadakan kegiatan untuk penyusunan rencana pengelolaan kawasan Kayan Mentarang.

Survei yang dilakukan WWF dan LIPI menyimpulkan adanya ketergantungan masyarakat dayak terhadap hutan yang sangat tinggi. Akhirnya pada kurun waktu 1992-1994, WWF dan Camat Punjungan mengeluarkan rekomendasi agar setiap desa memiliki Tana’ Ulen. Sekaligus pula mengusulkan agar Kayan Mentarang diubah menjadi Taman Nasional. Upaya ini membuahkan hasil. Maka pada 7 Oktober 1996, Cagar Alam Kayan Mentarang secara resmi menjadi Taman Nasional Kayan Mentarang berdasarkan SK Menhut No. 631/Kpts-/1996.

Perubahan ini menjadi angin segar bagi masyarakat lokal dan eksistensi Tana’ Ulen. Masyarakat bisa tetap tinggal di wilayah tersebut, dan menggunakan SDA yang tertentu sesuai peraturan Tana’ Ulen masing-masing desa.Namun status Taman Nasional ini juga tidak sepenuhnya mampu menjamin eksistensi Tana’ Ulen, mengingat dalam aturan pemerintah, wilayah yang berada dalam kawasan taman nasional adalah tanah negara. Maka, WWF sebagai organisasi konservasi global harus senantiasa mengawal pemanfaatan Tana’ Ulen tersebut agar selalu selaras dengan misi konservasi.

Help Kayan Mentarang NP Please!

National Park Kayan Mentarang Camp in Malinau City Needs Help
Malinau, Saturday Morning, Rainy 13 june 2009.

Yesterday afternoon, Marcus and i went to check out the National Park Kayan Mentarang camp in Malinau. It was located 8 kilometres from the city.

We drove with a Kijang car. The Dayak driver is also owned garden plot closed to the camp. He is Dayak from Lun Dayeh tribe, which is known as progressive in Malinau, East Kalimantan.Driving along the road toward the camp, we could still some of the virgin forest with big trees still standing.

However, we also saw many motorbikes parked on the side of the road belong to Dayak and other ladang farmers being busy with their ladang (farm). Or they are other things in the ladang. That would be in the next report.

After thirty minutes drive we arrived at the camp. It was a magnificent wooden camp. The car stopped in front of the caretaker house. Pak Tresno, his name, had been taking care the camp since all activities stopped. We were not sure were WWF was there or not.We found three wall pamphlet showing the Panda logo.

The building was connected to electricty. And it was built from strong local wood. We heard it costed $ 60.000 to get it built. It is big money in Indonesia, may be the world in this time of crisis.Pity though, even it costed so much, it is now abandoned.

Hi, conservation world, we need help to utilize the camp before it becomes wrecked Kayan Mentarang National Malinau City camp.We decided to go inside the 225 ha pristine forest behind the camp.

My dayak friend, Dan, said his friend told him that his friend worried some people may be encrouching the pristine forest for research and ecotourism.So we walked for 20 minutes inside the forest. We still saw some big tree of Ulin, Meranti, Kapur and many other species. It's so peaceful inside the little pristine forest. He judged that it seemed there is no illegal encrouching. May be up the hill, it could be some encrouching.

Back to the erected building, there were 3 beautiful houses that should be able used for research camp and guarg house. The buildings were built as reported costing Rp 600 million financed by Inhutani 1 in Malinau. Now the camp is under the supervision of Ministry of Forestry through National Park Kayan Mentarang body.

The future of the camp is still being discussed by the NPKM body. And it would be helpul if any International NGO would like to help the national park.

Jumat, 12 Juni 2009

Hari Lingkungan Hidup

Selasa, 09/06/2009 09:11 WIB
Hari Lingkungan Hidup: Semuanya Berawal dari Hal yang Kecil
Deni Danial Kesa - suaraPembaca dari detik.com




Jakarta - Lingkungan. Betapa akan menjadi perbincangan dan mengundang banyak pemikiran tiada hentinya. Hal yang sangat sederhana ketika manusia dan lingkungan sekitarnya tidak lagi berjalan beriringan dikarenakan pola hidup pembangunan yang cenderung menafikan keberlanjutan alam sekitarnya. Hal ini menjadi catatan paling penting bagi bangsa-bangsa di dunia.

Perlu disadari bahwa Hari lingkungan hidup juga memiliki banyak kesempatan bagi kita untuk memperbaiki dan mensikapi berbagai isu seputar kemiskinan kualitas hidup individu, pertumbuhan penduduk, pembangunan ekonomi, perlindungan terhadap sumber daya alam, mengatasi polusi, yang akan mempengaruhi rencana masa depan sebuah bangsa. Termasuk Indonesia.

Hari lingkungan hidup sedunia ditetapkan pada sidang umum PBB di tahun 1972 untuk menandai dibukanya konferensi Stockholm. Diperingati di tanggal 5 Juni. Hari Lingkungan Hidup se-Dunia menjadi alat dan motor penggerak kampanye untuk mengembangkan kepedulian terhadap lingkungan lewat keberpihakan secara politik dan aksi aksi yang nyata.

Untuk tema hari lingkungan hidup tahun ini adalah 'Your Planet Needs You-Unite to Combat Climate Change' (UNEP,2009). Kegiatannya dipusatkan di Meksiko. Sedangkan di Indonesia tema yang diangkat "Bersama Selamatkan Bumi dari Perubahan Iklim".

Hal tersebut merefleksikan urgensi negara-negara untuk menyetujui berbagai hal yang mendesak mengenai perubahan iklim dan kepedulian terhadap pengejawantahan lewat manajemen tata kelola lingkungan dan pemberantasan kemiskinan.

Memerangi perubahan iklim dan melindungi ekosistem membutuhkan perhatian khusus dan isu bagi semua pihak. Tiap usaha setiap individu tidak terlepas besar atau kecil dapat berkontribusi dalam pembangunan lingkungan yang berkelanjutan dengan memperbaiki ekonomi dan komunitas sekitarnya. Dalam kenyataannya perubahan iklim menjadi permasalahan dunia dan semua pihak berjuang mencari jalan keluarnya.

Kebijakan politik dan ekonomi memang terkadang mengabaikan hal yang penting karena memang masalah yang ada sangat dilematis. Sepertinya memang dunia membutuhkan "Revolusi Industry Lanjutan" untuk mengatasi semua permasalahan perubahan iklim dan dampak gas buang atau emisi di bumi kita ini.

Untuk itu dibutuhkan alih teknologi dan usaha yang ramah terhadap lingkungan, dan menciptakan lapangan kerja berbasis ekologi (eco-industry dan green job) yang beberapa tahun belakang ini hanya sekedar pelengkap pertumbuhan ekonomi.

Industri sebagai salah satu penyumbang penyebab perubahan cuaca diharapkan berperan aktif bisa menggunakan kebutuhan energinya secara efisien. Lebih mengutamakan energy alternative dengan tetap menanamkan kesadaran serta gaya hidup yang mendukung terciptanya kebiasaan yang memperhatikan lingkungan sekitar kita.

Menunggu berbagai kebijakan yang merepresentasikan keinginan di atas memang harus sedikit bersabar. Karena, banyak kepentingan yang bermain di dalam pembuatan sebuah kebijakan. Entah pengusaha, pemodal asing, intrik politik, dan masyarakat.

Selayaknya dengan kondisi seperti ini tiap individu masyarakat Indonesia bisa mendedikasikan hari lingkungan hidup ini dengan implikasi yang nyata dan bertalian dengan kehidupan keseharian kita. Apa yang bisa kita lakukan pada hari lingkungan ini. Bertindak dengan kemampuan yang kita bisa di antaranya:

- Menghindari berbelanja yang tidak mendesak (terkait dengan gaya hidup dan potensi terciptanya sampah).
- Lebih sering menggunakan sarana transportasi publik (dengan catatan mass rapid transportation system yang ada harus segera dibenahi).
- Menggunakan air secara efisien (lebih memanfaatkan jasa penyediaan air oleh Negara).
- Mengurangi penggunaan pendingin ruangan (mengurangi gas karbon dan emisi).
- Mencoba mengadopsi philosofi mengurangi, mendaur ulang, menggunakan kembali berbagai kemasan dalam kebutuhan domestik kita.
- Membeli barang dengan label eco-friendly yang terpercaya.
- Menghemat listrik.
- Menanam pohon di sekitar lingkungan kita.
- Menggunakan alat kantor secara efisien.
- Memisahkan sampah antara organik, kertas, plastik dan lainnya.
- Mengurangi atau bahkan berusaha menolak penggunaan tas plastik dan styrofoam.
- Jadilah bagian dari kampanye lingkungan hidup di sekitar lingkungan kita.

Sepertinya sepele memang. Tapi, semoga semua yakin dan percaya bahwa semua berawal dari hal kecil. Apa pun bisa mempengaruhi alam. Itulah bagian dari gaya hidup yang harus ditanamkan kepada anak-anak kita sedari dini.

Betapa keberlanjutan kepedulian menerapkan karya yang nyata terhadap lingkungan akan membawa dampak yang simultan dan berkelanjutan. Hal yang sempurna apabila kita memperlakukan alam ini dengan beradab. Niscaya umpan balik yang baik akan didapat.

Kita tidak perlu menjadi bagian dari kelompok besar untuk menyelamatkan lingkungan apabila tidak mampu. Tiap individu dapat membawa perubahan kecil tapi memegang peranan yang cukup penting.

Kita bisa memainkan peranan penting dalam mata rantai lingkungan di mana saja kita berada baik itu di lingkungan rumah, institusi pendidikan, pemerintahan, industri. Merayakan hari lingkungan hidup dengan hati dan tindakan yang nyata tiap hari. Mulai lah berkontribusi detik ini juga. Salam hijau.

Deni Danial Kesa
Villa Bogor Indah F3 Bogor
deni_kesa@yahoo.com
081323202160

Penulis adalah warga Bogor dan anggota luar biasa UPL MPA UNSOED.

Rabu, 10 Juni 2009

Pohon Terbesar di Borneo

Salam Konservasi.

Pagi di Malinau Kamis 11 Juni 2009.

Pohon terbesar ini (lihat photo) di Kalimantan dan Borneo ini di ukur oleh seorang dayak Kenyah. Pohon ini berdiameter 9.37 meter. Adapun tempatnya di hutan Malinau.

Ekpedisi mengukur pohon ini dilakukan oleh tim dari National Geographic Indonesia. Waktu itu kamipun ikut tapi hanya sampai di Tanah Olen di dekat desa setulang Malinau, Kalimantan Timur.

Tim ini berjalan seharian dan menginap di dekat pohon untuk mengambil photo dengan memanjat pohon yang sangat tinggi ini.

Pada hari ketiga merekapun tiba kembali di kamp Tanah Olen yang di bina BTRF, tempat dimana sekarang aku bekerja.

Waktu mengukurnya sobat dayak kita harus mencari rotan yang panjang untuk mengukur diameter pohon. Bagi orang dayak hutan adalah tempat bermainnya mereka sejak lahir sampai ke liang kubur.

Tim ekspedisidi temani tiga dayak. Jadi ada lima anggota tim yang menelusuri hutan perawan yang sangat menawan. Ketika kami menuju kamp Tanah Olen, aku merasa wah mungkin surga beginilah adanya. Kami mengalir di anak sungai menuju Tanah Olen dengan Ketingting.

Air menuju Tanah Olen ini sangat jernih,ikan-ikan kecilpun kelihatan. Oh, jangan sampai surga khatulistiwa ini hilang. Aku bermimpi mungkin satu saat aku bisa ajak anakku menikmati surga ini. Pohon-pohon tua dan segala macam flora-fauna kami lewati.

Akhirnya kami menginap dua malam di kamp Tanah Olen. Kami memakan masakan khas dayak Kenyah yaitu berupa ikan kecil yang dimasak dalam bambu dengan sedikit garam. Wo, nikmatnya makan nasi dengan ikan hutan Kalimantan.

Nah, mengenai ukuran pohon itu, Dr. Herwasono, si penulis Apo Kayan-Sebongkah Surga di Borneo, memberi pendapat dari data yang dia miliki maka pohon ini merupakan pohon nomor lima terbesar di dunia dan nomor satu di Borneo. Tidak percaya datanglah sendiri ke Setulang Malinau, ajak sobat dayaknya kesana. Kami siap memfasilitasi.

Anda mau melihat surga khatulistiwa, keindahan alam, mengerti hutan, kunjungilah sebongkah surga di Malinau yang kedepan bisa terancam juga oleh pembangunan.

Salam
konservasiindonesia
Mohamad Rayan

End to deforestation

Global coalition demands end to deforestation


Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Wed, 06/10/2009 1:02 PM National
A coalition of global forests appealed to the world's negotiators in Bonn climate conference to make a strong deal on ending the deforestation.

Dozens of global green groups -including the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Rava Institute Indonesia, Watch Indonesia and Greenpeace - gathered in Bonn to deliver a warning that climate deals should ensure the survival of all countries and peoples around the world.

"We submit the petition at the Bonn conference asking negotiators to end deforestation and stop expansions of timber plantations," Teguh Surya, a forest campaigner from Walhi, told The Jakarta Post from Bonn on Tuesday.

"But such moves will not be effective for as long as rich nations do not change their consumption of timber products, including those from Indonesia," Teguh said.
Youth groups, NGOs, indigenous organizations, women's groups also joined the global forest coalition.

"Survival is not negotiable. The climate deal signed in Copenhagen needs to ensure the survival of all countries and peoples," youth spokesperson Gemma Tillack said.
"The immediate protection of the world's forests is no longer just an option, it is essential to ensure a safe climate for us and our kids."

Delegates from about 190 countries gathered in Bonn, Germany, to discuss a great number of global issues, including the Bali road map for emissions cuts, adaptation funds, technology transfers and mitigation efforts.

At a groundbreaking UN meeting in 2007 in Bali, most countries decided to craft a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which had obliged 37 industrial countries to cut carbon dioxide and other pollutants by a total of 5 percent from 1990 levels by 2012. They gave themselves a two-year time frame to complete the new agreement.

With six months left, however, negotiators are still deadlocked on major issues. They will gather three more times before a decisive meeting in December in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, when an accord is scheduled to be adopted.

The countries have agreed to use forests under the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) mechanism as an alternative way to reduce emissions.

The forest coalition, however, said developed nations should not use forest protection and avoiding deforestation in developing nations as an offset mechanism for their own emissions. It said the negotiators should identify underlying causes of deforestation and degradation and involve indigenous peoples and women's groups in decision-making processes related to forests.

"Any policies intended to reduce deforestation and forest degradation should include measures to reduce consumption of forest products, especially in the industrialized North," the statement said.

Selasa, 09 Juni 2009

Kalimantan Forest Carbon

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 7:48 AM
Be a member & get the benefits!

Carbon conservation in forests could preserve endangered species: Study

Adianto P. Simamora , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Fri, 06/05/2009 1:23 PM

National. A report revealed that paying to conserve billions of tons of carbon stored in tropical forests could also protect orangutans, pygmy elephants and other wildlife at risk of extinction.

The study examined the potential role of carbon payments in protecting 3.3 million hectares of tropical forest in Kalimantan.It said if CO2 credits could be sold for US$10 to $33 per ton, conserving the forest would be more profitable than clearing the land for oil palm plantations. In addition, forest conservation would prevent 2.1 billion tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere and preserve the habitat of some of the world’s most threatened mammal species living in these forests.

“Our study clearly demonstrates that payments made to reduce carbon emissions from forests could also be an efficient and effective way to protect biodiversity,” Oscar Venter, a biologist at the University of Queensland in Australia and the study’s lead author said in a statement.The study, jointly done by researchers from the Bogor-based Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the University of Queensland, The Nature Conservancy and the Great Ape Trust of Iowa, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Conservation Letters.

They compared the revenues that could be derived from protecting the forest and thus avoiding a large amount of carbon emissions, to the revenue that would be derived from converting the forest to oil palm plantations. The study determined that 40 of Kalimantan’s 46 threatened mammals live within areas slated for oil palm development. It said that planned oil palm plantations in peat forest areas, where carbon is most abundant, contain almost twice the mammal species density as more expensive areas. “Reducing Emissions Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) offers important win-win opportunities for climate and biodiversity protection,” said Frances Seymour, Director General of CIFOR.

“Ultimately, our goal is to help fashion an agreement in Copenhagen that will allow tropical forests to become a part of a more comprehensive climate agreement – one that will reduce emissions, as well as produce cobenefits. “There is already a good case to be made for ending the exclusion of existing forests in the next climate pact. This new evidence shows just one of the many benefits that a REDD accord could have.”

Kalpataru Award for Dayak

Kalpataru Award Winner: Lidjie Taq, Guarding the source of life

Anissa S. Febrina , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Tue, 06/09/2009 10:47 AM People
JP/Anissa S. Febrina

To live close to nature is probably something many in the city dream of. But rarely do we realize the great responsibility that comes with that privilege, one that Lidjie Taq, chief of the Wehea tribe, takes very seriously.

"For us, the forest is a source of life," says the leader of the 2,500 residents of Nehes Liah Bing, a village in East Kalimantan's East Kutai area. "It is like a barn where we can obtain anything from meat, plants, seeds and, especially for us, a natural recycler of water. Protecting it means we are protecting our own lives."

Lidjie's efforts to protect Wehea forest have gone from guarding it to fighting for its legal conservation status. The forest is located about 40 kilometers from his community and five other neighboring villages.

It is an effort that has been recognized through the recent Kalpataru award for conservation of nature, as an example set for others, an example of grassroots activism that could hopefully snowball into a greater movement.

"We were only concerned by the destruction of nature," Lidjie says.
"Around us, plantations are being opened and are contaminating the water with the fertilizers they use. Having a protected forest that also functions as a catchment area will hopefully help repurify the water."

"Keldung Laas Wehea Long Skung Metgueen": This phrase in Wehean Dayak refers to the protection and limited use of the forest, a line that represents the local consensus to guard their source of life.

"We are close to the forest and realized that it was dying," he says, describing the turning point for locals in intensifying their conservation efforts through the forest guardian program.
In early November 2004, locals from three surrounding districts started discussing what they wanted to do with the forest. In one day they had reached an agreement to manage and protect the 38,000-hectare area as a community forest.

Despite the Kalpataru recognition, the Wehea forest has yet to be legally recognized by the government as a conservation area.

Nevertheless, the community has appointed about 30 people as petkuq mehuey or guardians of the forest, taking turns monitoring the protected areas for poachers and loggers. While many green activists are busy formulating what a conservation area is and how it should be managed, the Weheans have done it customarily for centuries.

The key word for them is keldung, a concept that translates into a modern day understanding of "conservation area", according to coordinator of environmental organization The Nature Conservancy's East Kutai, Taufik Hidayat.

The green group has been fighting alongside locals to have the customary practice of forest conservation recognized by the government.

Keldung is actually a simple, straight-to-the-point concept.
"If, for example, two brothers would like to clear their own fields, they should not clear them side by side. There should be a keldung in between, some 50 meters wide," Lidjie explains.
This buffer zone serves not only as a shaded place to rest after a hot day under the sun working in the fields, but also as what Lidjie referred to earlier: A source of life. That area allows biodiversity to thrive, locals to obtain timber to build communal huts and animals to live in the wilderness.

"Actually, the forest is divided into areas that cannot be touched at all and ones that can be of limited use. But we are trying as much as we can not to touch even the latter," he adds.
This latter area is available only for some timber to construct communal buildings and to hunt a limited number of boars.

"It's the only animal that is still allowed to be hunted as its population can grow quickly. But, still, if we are reckless in hunting boars, they will soon be extinct, too," Lidjie says.
"There are still violators, though, both locals and especially outsiders, like from Lombok and Java, who are not aware of our custom are still hunting and logging in the forest."
The poachers and loggers, known locally as pencari garu, are detained by the community, but are released after they are reprimanded and their hunting and logging tools are seized.
While the custom is inherent for Weheans, but for outsiders - including the government - the concept is difficult to grasp, let alone be recognized as equal to the law.
For outsiders, Dayak's slash-and-burn agriculture might seem destructive at first, but unwritten rules such as keldung seem to prove otherwise.

Describing the similar practice of Amazonian tribes, writer Charles C. Mann explains the reasoning behind it. "With little soil wealth to extract, Amazonian farmers face inherent ecological limitations. Farmers clear small fields with axes and machetes, burn off the chaff and refuse and plant their seeds. The ash gives the soil a quick shot of nutrients, giving the crop a chance," he wrote in 1491.

This concept "minimizes the time in which the ground is unprotected," and in a way, when farmers move to open another area, gives the soil time to regain vitality.
According to Mann, groups that have survived with this approach will build the knowledge into their ideology and behavior through taboos and other laws - much like what the Weheans do.
However, maintaining customary agricultural practices is not as easy as it seems, especially in an era of cash crops and intensive agriculture.

"Our area is shrinking, pushed back by commercial plantations and settlement areas. Thus, we have to adapt our form of agriculture," Lidjie says, adding that Weheans no longer open new forest areas and make do with the existing fields.

"If in the future the soil is no longer fertile and no longer allows our old way of farming, then, like it or not, we have to start using fertilizers," he says.

Change is one of Lidjie's concern - change for the worse that is.
"Time will change things. Each and every day there are outside forces that require us to change our ways of living. Ready or not, like it or not, we will gradually adapt," he says.
"We will never know about the future generation. But, as long as we are here, we will try to protect the forest. If it is destroyed, then the four villages downstream will be flooded. Our culture will also vanish. If that happens, then Wehea will be history."