Indonesia: Environmentalists Object to Road in Sumatra National Park

Jakarta Globe 22 Dec 10;

Bengkulu. A leading Indonesian environmental group has protested a plan to build a road through Kerinci Seblat National Park, the biggest reserve on Sumatra Island.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has denounced the project as possibly paving the way for illegal logging and deforestation in the park.

“The plan to build a road goes against the preservation of the environment in the Kerinci Seblat National Park, which must be protected,” Barlian, a board member of the forum’s Bengkulu branch, said on Monday.

The nature reserve straddles the provinces of Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra and West Sumatra, and covers 13,791 square kilometers.

The proposed 40-km road would link the districts of Mukomuko, Bengkulu, to Kerinci, Jambi, and was first proposed by the district administrations in 2007.

The Forestry Ministry rejected the proposal at the time. Recently, the administrations have begun airing the idea once again, although they still require approval from the ministry.

Barlian said that one of the major problems of the road was that it would make it easier for illegal loggers to fell and remove trees.

He also said it would allow people to clear more forest land for agriculture.

Barlian argued that any economic benefit that the road was expected to bring to the people of Mukomuko and Kerinci would be far outweighed by the damage it would cause to the environment.

“Moreover, the geographic landscapes of the two districts are also different,” he said.

“Kerinci district is a highland region, a producer of food crops, whereas Mukomuko is primarily a rubber and palm oil producer. So the argument that the road will improve their economies is not a sound one.”

Barlian added that when the plan was revived by the regional administrations, it prompted people living close to the proposed route to begin clearing forest land for agriculture inside the national park.

Authorities in both districts have already formed a special committee to supervise the road construction project.

Badri Rusli, a member of the committee, said the road would be a much shorter route between the two districts because the current road was 100 km long.

The park is home to more than 4,000 plant species, including the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia arnoldii, also known as the corpse flower.

It also hosts considerable populations of Sumatran tigers, rhinos and elephants, as well as Bornean clouded leopard and 370 bird species.

The park also boasts Mount Kerinci, at 3,805 meters the highest peak in Sumatra.

Antara