(IN) 50 orangutans are dying away in a palm oil plantation

[Guest guest]

PRESS RELEASE

 

June 25, 2007

For Immediate Release

 

50 orangutan are dying away in a palm oil plantation

 

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 Indonesia’s 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 people 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.”

 

Recent press quotes:

Indonesia's forests threatened by logging, palm oil

03 Jun 2007 23:05:45 GMT Source: Reuters. By Mita Valina Liem

 

...................................................... The palm oil industry

defends itself and its methods. " If there are some

endangered species in the area or an area is of high conservation

value, then it will not be opened for plantations, " Derom Bangun,

executive chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association,

told Reuters. " The government has classified areas and has rules and

we obey them. It is not what people from outside think that we just

come, clear land and burn. " ......................

………………………………………………………………………..

 

June 5 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia, the world's third-largest emitter of

greenhouse gases, won't allow oil palm growers to cut primary forests

for establishing plantations, Minister for Environment Rachmat

Witoelar said.

 

....................................``Expansion of palm oil

plantations will not be allowed to sacrifice natural forests,''

Witoelar said in an interview in Bali yesterday. ``They will be

planted in lots that are already empty. There are plenty of these, 18

million hectares of them.'' .......................

------

------------------------

 

For further information and / or high-resolution photographs, please

contact:

 

Hardi Baktiantoro, Director of the Centre for Orangutan Protection

www.orangutanprotection.com Email: orangutan .id. Tel:

081398229911

 

Sean Whyte, Chief Executive, Nature Alert. www.naturealert.org

www.born-to-be-wild.org Email: sw

 

HARDI BAKTIANTORO

CENTRE FOR ORANGUTAN PROTECTION

PO.BOX 2406 JKP 10024

JAKARTA - INDONESIA

orangutan

www.orangutanprotection.com