Aceh's Forests under More Pressure

Down to Earth No. 69, May 2006

Forestry minister Kaban issued logging permits to five timber companies in Aceh in March, ending a partial moratorium imposed in 2001. The decision is intended to make more timber available for post-tsunami reconstruction. However, local community organisations and NGOs believe the resumption of large-scale legal operations will further endanger communities and accelerate deforestation.

Widespread opposition

The new permits, covered in an MoU signed by the Department of Forestry and Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) last month, cover 367,550 hectares of production forest in Aceh. The decision met with immediate criticism from CSOs in Aceh and nationally. Leaders of communities in Aceh Jaya protested that they bear the brunt of any problems caused by deforestation. "Many rivers have dried up and, when it rains for just a short time, it floods almost immediately, particularly in Teunom and Krueng Sabee," complained Syarafuddin. He represents 23 traditional community leaders (mukim) in Aceh Raya where three of the newly licenced companies will operate - PT Raja Garuda Mas Lestari, PT Aceh Inti Timber and PT Lamuri Timber. Simeulue is likely to be devastated by the 115,000 ha concession of PT Krueng Sakti which covers the majority of the island. The final concession, Kopontren Najmussalam is a co-operative owned by an Islamic school in Bireun district. The total output of the five concessions is over 330,000m3 per year. The 2006 legal logging quota for Aceh has been raised to 500,0003.

Officially, Aceh has 3.3 million ha of forest, including 638,000ha designated as production forests. The annual legal cut pre-tsunami was only 50,000m3, but timber consumption in the province was well above 500,000m3 per year. So it is not surprising that a survey by Indonesian NGO, Greenomics, revealed damage to more than 30% of existing forest areas. WALHI has shown that at least 52,000m3 of timber was felled illegally in Aceh in 2005. One source claims there are around 1,700 chain saws operating in Aceh. Also, new roads between the east and west coast of Aceh and the associated network of rural roads (formerly called the Ladia Galaska project: see DTE 55) are opening up more forests for destruction. "The revival of the concessions will further worsen the deforestation problem," said a Greenomics spokesperson.

How much is needed?

Post-tsunami demand for timber in Aceh is estimated at between 4 and 8 million m3. This year alone around 1.7 million m3 of wood products are needed, equivalent to 3.5 million m3 of raw logs. The government has committed to the completion of some 120,000 new homes in Aceh and Nias by 2007. The forested areas of Aceh were largely unaffected by the tsunami. Much of the timber to date has come from provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The timber demand for reconstruction is putting a strain on the dwindling forest resources of neighbouring areas. Riau's annual quota for legal timber is only 200,0003 and there are problems meeting the demand for supplies within the province.

Some international humanitarian agencies claim they only purchase certified timber, but the reality is that only a tiny fraction of Indonesia's logging concessions have any form of certification. Most organisations are completely unaware of the origin of the timber. Greenomics, reckons that 95% of the timber is probably from illegal sources. Its survey also shows that the main threat to forests is not local people cutting down trees to rebuild their homes, but suppliers and contractors engaged in reconstruction work. Sawmills are selling timber from unknown sources to projects funded by international NGOs and the Indonesian government.

Pressure from legal and illegal logging operations

The government defended its decision saying that the new logging licences were vital for Aceh's reconstruction plans and that the province's production forests had the potential to provide much-needed timber supplies. Kaban said the timber would not go to other areas: "Aceh timber can only be used for Aceh's reconstruction," the minister insisted. Indonesian activists question why the forestry minister ignored the BRR's position that only confiscated timber should be used in Aceh's reconstruction and why the minister went back on his earlier statements that timber for Aceh's reconstruction should come from outside the province. Since Aceh's Assembly (DPRD) also voiced its opposition to the new logging concessions, it is likely that other powerful interests have forced Jakarta's hand. The only positive thing that can be said is that as many as 18 companies were originally on the list for licences, but only five have been granted so far.

NGOs and indigenous people's groups in Aceh have long campaigned against destructive large-scale logging in Aceh. Prominent members of this campaign have been Bestari Raden, who was imprisoned for his opposition (see DTE 63) and the late Keucik Jailani (see DTE 64). They argued that Aceh's forests were needed to protect water supplies for agriculture and to prevent soil erosion, landslides, droughts and flooding which have caused huge damage to local livelihoods and cost dozens of lives over the past decade. They also pointed to the bad track record of companies like PT Medan Raya Timber which logged outside its concession area and exceeded its quota. However, the logging ban was never 100% effective, not least due to the widespread involvement of the military in timber operations in Aceh.

The situation was particularly bad in Southeast Aceh. Logs were pouring out of the district illegally and transported to the port of Belawan in North Sumatra from whence they were smuggled to neighbouring Malaysia. The operations involved representatives of SE Aceh's assembly, the governor and police or members of their close families. The director and staff of WALHI Aceh faced death threats after they exposed the results of their investigation on national TV in late 2005 (see DTE 68)