Environmentalists Blast Asia Pulp and Paper For Road Project In Jambi, Indonesia

Tempo Interactive 15 Jul 09;

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Environment activist in Jakarta protested against a project to build transport access in a forest in Tebo Regency, in Jambi Province by a pulp and paper company on Wednesday and accused the company of breaching a conservation area.

In a demonstration outside the main office of Asia Pulp and Paper in Jakarta on Wednesday, Centre for Orangutan Protection said a subsidiary of the company, PT Wira Karya Sejati and PT Rimba Hutani Mas have razed forest near the Bukit Tigapuluh orangutan conservation area to build an 82 kilometer road for timber transportation.

Sadewa spokesman for the Centre for Orangutan Protection said “The road was only 5-7 kilometers from the center of the conservation site. ”Sadewa said the companies had not completed its Analysis on Environmental Impacts of their work, but the logs and timbers were scattered around the road access.

Sadewa also criticised the head of Tebo Regency for failing to recognize the situation in his region and said that efforts from local non governmental organisations to promote the problem have failed to gain response from the local government.

There were four major orangutan conservation area in Sumatra; Aceh, Dolok Sembelin and Batu Ardan, southeast of Tapanuli, and in Angkola and Pasaman. In Bukit Tigapuluh there were 103 population of orangutan which were released to the conservation area five years ago.

DIANING SARI