Nature Alert: (Palm oil companies) "Do not grab our forest": The people of Tura

Tuesday 16 December 2008

(Palm oil companies) "Do not grab our forest": The people of Tura

PRESS RELEASE

Jakarta, 16 December 2008 – Around 15,000 hectares of community forest in Central Kalimantan will be cleared for the expansion of palm oil plantations, threatening the livelihood of more than 2,500 people. The community of Tura, Tumbang Tanjung and Tumbang Lahang villages along the Katingan river, are concerned of the impending disaster that will come when their forest is taken away by the companies. Their apprehension is expressed in a film, titled "Petak Danum Itah" or "Our Homeland", made by the community themselves with the support of the Centre for Orangutan Protection was premiered in Jakarta today.

"I can imagine what a nightmare it will be for us if the forest where we gather rattan and farm will be cleared away to make way for the palm oil plantations. What else will our grandchildren inherit?

The President of Indonesia should know that our livelihood is being taken away by these palm oil companies," said Daryatmo, the village head of Tumbang Tura, one of the villages in the district of Pulau Malan.

"We have heard horror stories from our friends in neighbouring villages that had given up their ancestral land to the palm oil companies. Most of them are not able to gather rattan and tap rubber anymore. It was their main source of income and now most of the workers in the plantation come from outside the area and took away even the only other option to make a living.They cannot even catch fish because the river is polluted," he said at the film preview.

At least 15 companies have received concession rights to clear the forest and plant palm oil in the area. According to a survey by BOS Foundation and the Ministry of Forestry in December 2006, at least 1,500 orangutans inhabit three concession areas of PT Makin Group along the Katingan River. A total clearing of the area will wipe out the endangered species and the possibility of preserving an area, that if a thorough survey is carried out may have an astounding wealth of biodiversity.

"COP decided to work with the people of Tura village. Our objective is

clear: to save the forest. This will not only save at least 1,500 orangutans but also the lives of thousands of people dependent on the forest,"said Novi Hardianto, Habitat Program Coordinator of the Centre for Orangutan Protection.

*Contacts: *

Novi Hardianto, COP Habitat Program Coordinator, +62 819 817911

WAHYUNI MANGOENSOEKARDJO

and orangutan

COP: Centre for Orangutan Protection

www.cop.or.id

Hall of Shame for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Palm Oil Industry.

Nothing can prepare one for the sight of the systematic extermination of orangutans by the government of Indonesia.

Look at the photos and news articles on these pages in the context of a statement the President made to the media on 10th December 2007.

“In the last 35 years about 50,000 orangutans are estimated to have been lost as their habitats shrank. If this continues, this majestic creature will likely face extinction by 2050,” President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said at the launch of an orangutan conservation plan at the climate talks in Bali.

“The fate of the orangutan is a subject that goes to the heart of sustainable forests … To save the orangutan we have to save the forest.”

Statements like these are most welcome, but unless backed up by action, such words fall on deaf ears within the Ministry of Forestry....who are busy granting licences to cut down the very forests the President says they should protect!

When you think you are to busy to help, please could you reflect for a moment on .........

The following extract refers to environmental problems in general. I just hope you find it as thought provoking and relevant to orangutans as I have.

"This is such a shocking and unpalatable fact that most people deny it, or they just don't want to think about it. They believe as individuals, they can do little about it, so push it to the back of their minds. But I can't do that.

When something has to be done, we need to do it. It doesn't matter how big the challenge is or how hard the solution; if I know something is wrong, and I am in a position to help, I will do my best to make it right." Duncan Bannatyne, successful British businessman.