A Threat to Village Forests

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By Edi Rahman, Field Director

In Simpang Hilir District, there is a Peat Protection Forest (HLG), Sungai Paduan, covering an area of 6,788 hectares which is currently designated as Village Forest for 4 villages – Padu Banjar Village, Pulau Kumbang Village, Pemangkat Village and Nipah Kuning Village. The area is a peat swamp forest which is a comfortable place for many animals to live, especially orangutans, gibbons, red leaf monkeys, sun bears, clouded leopards, proboscis monkeys, various bird species, and other animals. The Village Forest Management Boards (LPHD) have collaborated with Yayasan Palung to manage and utilize this forest area since 2014. The forest wildlife are monitored regularly by the LPHD, working with  Yayasan Palung, through biodiversity survey activities, patrols, and passive monitoring (camera traps, bioacoustic recorders).

An orangutan photographed by a camera trap in a village forest adjacent to the PT Mayawana Persada concession. Orangutans have very large home ranges, so they would certainly require forest beyond the Village Forest area in the corporation’s concession.

The Sungai Paduan Village Forest area is directly adjacent to one of the Industrial Plantation Forest concessions of the corporation, PT. Mayawana Persada, whose area contains the same forest type as Sungai Paduan, which some refer to as the Mendawak landscape. During a biodiversity survey of the village forest area, Yayasan Palung and the LPHD could hear the long calls of orangutans coming from the direction of the concession and several orangutan nests were observed. Hornbills and other animals were also seen on the PT. Mayawana Persada land. Thus, it is very unfortunate that when the Padu Banjar and Nipah Kuning Village forest patrol teams were patrolling in early March 2024 in the village forest area directly adjacent to PT. Mayawana Persada, they observed the company carrying out land clearing activities in areas indicated as habitat for various species of protected animals, including orangutans.

Machinery clearing forest just outside the village forest area.

Since Mayawana Persada’s land clearing is largely in an area directly adjacent to 4 village forests, it will cut off corridors that animals use to travel between village forests and larger forest areas. It will impact the population density of orangutans in the village forest area, driving individuals into much smaller remaining forest. Other threats to the village forests will increase – greater exposure and access by humans leads to increased risk of poaching, illegal logging, and fires. In addition, the threat of orangutan-human conflict will also be higher, especially in the village communities directly adjacent to the concession.

In October of 2022, a Circular Letter was issued by the Directorate General of Sustainable Forest Management, addressed to the Leaders of Forest Utilization Business Permits (PBPH) throughout Indonesia to pay attention to and implement the protection of protected wildlife and included the following: (a) That elephants, tigers, orangutans and other protected wildlife in the concession area are state assets so it is the obligation of Forest Utilization Business Permit (PBPH) holders to protect and preserve them. (b) For protected areas located in concession areas, it is necessary to inventory and verify the condition of the habitat for elephants, tigers, orangutans and protected wildlife, especially to determine the availability of conservation areas within areas with the designation of Wildlife Protection Area. This is the obligation of permit holders seeking forest utilization. (c) Foster development of protected wildlife habitat by providing feed plants in PBPH and other areas. There are sanctions indicated in the Circular Letter for PBPH holders who do not follow these directives. However, PT Mayawan Persada has carried out land clearing in an area that has every indication of being suitable habitat for protected wildlife, and there are orangutans there.

Active forest clearing just outside the village forest area.

At the end of 2023 and in early 2024, there was a sharp spotlight put on PT. Mayawana Persada by conservation activists, both individuals and institutions and national and international media (see one such news article here), leading the company to cease land clearing activities, especially in peat swamp forest areas which are designated as protected animal habitats. This encouraging result was followed up by the issuance of a Letter from the Directorate General of Sustainable Forest Management of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry on March 28, 2024 addressed to the President Director of PBPH-HT PT Mayawana Persada in Jakarta/Pontianak Regarding the Termination of Logged Over Area (LOA) Logging Activities. In the letter it is stated that in consideration of achieving Indonesia’s Folu Net Sink 2030 target, PT Mayawana Persada must stop all logging activities in the logged over area (LOA) and focus on activities such as land rehabilitation and other environmental restoration activities.

Land clearing by PT Mayawana Persada near the village forest area.

This recent letter addressed to PT. Mayawana Persada is a very promising development in ceasing the environmental damage that has been done in the area recently, but now, it is necessary to make sure that PT. Mayawana Persada obeys and follows through on the directives. Supervision must be carried out by all parties, both the government (central, provincial, district), conservation institutions and activists as well as communities around PT. Mayawana Persada.

Land clearing by Mayawana Persada in the Mendawak Landscape.