The Impact of Illegal Logging on the Peatlands

The Impact of Illegal Logging on the Peatlands Host: Alue Dohong, a native of Borneo, agreed to take us back to his old workplace in the isolated backwaters of the Mantangai River. But reports from his old colleagues have been troubling. Alue: I heard that the fires are mushrooming surrounding the base camp and also along the river banks. So that’s why it’s quite risky to have this trip. Host: Alue had set up a forest restoration project in Mantangai. He left when the money all but ran out. He’s been looking for funds to restart it and his prospects are good. Alue: I hope to see that the damming system is still very successful and replanting activities still in very good condition and the fires decreasing. Host: Even in the time that he’s been away, the land has changed. Upriver, Alue notices there are fewer timber mills operating. Alue: Mostly already closed down because of law enforcement from government has been quite tight for the last two years, and also, hard for them to get big logs any more. Yeah, mostly actually they got it from illegal sources. Host: Government and private patrols have had some success against illegal loggers here. But according to the World Resources Institute, more than sixty percent of Indonesia’s logging is illegal. For some, it is still a necessary source of income. Upriver, Adie is waiting to take Alue on the next stage of his journey. In wet season, Adie sometimes supports his family by planting seedlings for Alue’s old forest restoration program. But it’s not enough to get by. Adie: It’s better to replant trees than cut them down because if you cut them down, eventually there’s no more timber. I make a living by fishing and by cutting down trees, to sell and for my own use. Because there are no jobs, we have to. Host: Indonesia’s legal conversion of forest to plantation continues 40 years ago, the Indonesian government classified certain areas for development. And today they are still granting concessions. Art Klassen: The country has made the decision, in the sake of economic development to convert a lot of its forests to other uses: oil palm, or rubber, or whatever else. So huge areas, numbering in the millions of hectares are still slated for conversion, ultimately. So I don’t see that the rate of deforestation is going to slow down any time soon. Host: But what would be the impact on climate change? The Indonesian government says it plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26% by 2020. With help from developed countries, they would go further; up to 41%. The cuts, it says, would come through a combination of renewable energy, energy efficiency and reducing deforestation. A new scheme named ‘REDD’ may provide these funds to reduce deforestation. REDD or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries could be part of an international agreement in Copenhagen to reduce greenhouse gases. It would replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. Rich countries would pay poor countries to keep their forests and the carbon they store standing. Alue pushes on through the narrowing river to base camp. The further he travels, the more depressed he becomes. Alue: I’m quite sad, because the fire happened everywhere. This situation is really worse than it’s been for the last three years. Who do you think started the fires? Male: I don’t know the other people who do logging down there. Alue: So what kind of fish have you got? Male: Just this one. Alue: Is your catch getting better or worse? Male: Worse because of this fire. Alue: This is really a disaster to me, you know. It’s hard to see any wildlife here because that’s also an impact of this disaster of fires.