Indonesian Palm Oil Company Killing Orangutans
Alarming new evidence gathered recently by Indonesia’s own Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP), proves the palm oil company PT NABATINDO KARYA UTAMA is currently destroying pristine orangutan habitat in Central Kalimantan.
PT NABATINDO KARYA UTAMA, despite worldwide protests, despite local opposition, despite Ministerial protest, despite the Indonesian Palm Oil Growers Association saying they will not cut down forests, despite the government of Indonesias agreement under the Kinshasa Declaration not to destroy orangutan habitat, this company is rapidly cutting down, every day, 30 hectares of rainforest close to Cempanga village, Central Kalimantan. At least 50 orangutans, 11 species of protected mammals and reptiles and 34 species of birds will killed only in this month if Government do not react rapidly to stop it.
Hardi Baktiantoro, Director of the Centre for Orangutan Protection said; “I call on the Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry to please stop, immediately, palm oil companies from logging any more forest both at Cempanga and elsewhere in Borneo. We all know there is already plenty of cleared land suitable for new crops.”
Eyewitness accounts talk of orangutans being scared away by the excavators. Yet another forest, once forest full of diversity, providing food and fuel for local people, is now being reduced to barren earth.
“All the forests that I have lived off and protected since 1972 have been cleared for palm oil plantations.
The loss of our forests means the loss of wild animals and plants that are useful for our Dayak traditional medicine. The forest where we depend a lot for our livelihood such as rubber, rattan, and wood has been devastated in recent months. I am sure if the government will not stop the operation of PT NKU within this month, there will be nothing left for us,” said Stone Christopel Sahabu, a local Dayak who managed the forest for 3 decades.
*Additional notes*
The forest of Cempaga is located beside Tumbang Koling, a village, some 4 hours drive from Palangkaraya. Though legally bought by PT NABATINDO KARYA UTAMA, local people do not want the forest cut down.
As often happens, no one listens to local communities when big profits are at stake.
A research team from the Centre for Orangutan Protection report that an excavator is already destroying 30 hectares of forest every single day. The community forest, originally covering an area of 10,000 hectares, has now been reduced to only 4,000 hectares; this last 4000 acres will disappear very soon unless the Minister intervene NOW.
Stone Christopel Sahabu has been managing the community forests since 30 August 1972. This forest has been endorsed by the Utan Teke as the head of the Pundu village. Zainuddin Safri, Head of the Cempaga sub district on 27 September 2001, strengthened this endorsement. The concession permit issued by the Head of Kotawaringin Timur apparently has overlapped with the principle of the community forest and on 28 February 2007, the Governor of Central Kalimantan had instructed the head of Kotawaringin Timur District to resolve the problem.
Unfortunately, the big excavator equipment operators (palm oil companies), continue to tear down trees whilst the officials procrastinate.
The rapidly deteriorating forestry situation in Indonesia is being monitored closely by foreign NGOs and the media. Sean Whyte, Chief Executive of Nature Alert, leading the international campaign to raise public as well as commercial awareness of the TRUE COST to the environment of most palm oil grown in Indonesia says, “The eyes of the world are watching Indonesia to see how little rainforest and how few orangutans will be left, before the government of Indonesia stops the palm oil companies from logging any more forest.
The last thing we want to do is to name and shame those individuals who harm orangutans with this merciless logging, but make no mistake, we will. When asked by the people of Indonesia to help them save their forests, traditions and wildlife, we will.”
For further information and / or high-resolution photographs, please contact: Hardi Baktiantoro, Director of the Centre for Orangutan Protection
www.orangutanprotection.com
Email: orangutan@indosat.net
Tel: 081398229911
Sean Whyte, Chief Executive, Nature Alert.
www.naturealert.org
www.born-to-be-wild.org
Email: sw@naturealert.org
HARDI BAKTIANTORO
CENTRE FOR ORANGUTAN PROTECTION
PO.BOX 2406 JKP 10024
JAKARTA - INDONESIA
orangutan@indosat.net.id
