Antara 7 Aug 10;
Jambi, Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Greenpeace activists unfurled a giant banner with text reading "APP-Stop destroying Tiger Forests" to protest alleged forest destruction by pulp giant Asia Pulp&Paper (APP).
The banner was put up in an area of active clearing by PT. Tebo Multi Agro (TMA), an affiliate of APP, in the southern part of the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape last Thurday (Aug 5), according to a press statement of Greenpeace Southeast Asia in its official website.
"Greenpeace and KKI Warsi, a Sumatra based NGO, urged the Indonesian government to take immediate action to stop further destruction of this valuable forest that is currently being logged for the expansion of the pulp and paper industry," it said.
The Bukit Tigapuluh landscape is recognized as one of the last refuges for the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger and hosts incredible biodiversity including 660 plant species, 200 species of birds and 60 mammal species, including the highly endangered clouded leopard, Malayan tapir, Sumatran elephant and the Orang utan.
The area is also home to the indigenous peoples of the Orang Rimba and Talang Mamak tribes.
"Greenpeace is here today to expose APP`s false claims that it only develops `least valuable degraded forests and denuded wasteland`. This is precious forest that houses rich biodiversity, carbon stocks and is the home to the Orang Rimba and Talang Mamak peoples. It should not be destroyed for copy paper and glossy magazines," said Zulfahmi, forest campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
"APP and its parent company Sinar Mas are not only undermining President Yudhoyono`s international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation but are also driving endangered species like the Sumatran tiger towards extinction and making indigenous communities homeless," he added.
Last week Greenpeace launched its latest investigative report into the operations of Sinar Mas.
Greenpeace gathered new photographic evidence from aerial monitoring, backed up by field analysis, to detail how the Sinar Mas group continues to clear rainforest containing priceless biodiversity and carbon-rich peatlands, despite public promises it has made to clean up its act.
"Our recent survey shows that currently about 500 Orang Rimba live in Bukit Tigapuluh forests. But now they are in danger as the forests which they depend on for their livelihoods is already destroyed. In order to protect the biodiversity and the interests of our forest communities, deforestation must end immediately," said Robert Aritonang of Warsi.
Greenpeace is calling upon the Indonesian government to extend the recently announced moratorium on `new concessions on conversion of natural forests and peatlands into plantations` to include a halt to all clearing of forested areas within existing concessions.
(Tx.F001/HAJM/P003)
