Who Destroyers of Forest in Borneo?

One factor triggers inter-ethnic riots in West Borneo (Kalbar) is the management of forests and crops of West Kalimantan is not fair. For many people, this does not make sense. How Kalimantan forest management may suddenly become a source of unrest has been blamed?


Like it or not, that's the truth. Borneo forest exploitation has now reached a critical point. The fact is that now more than 30% of West Borneo is 146,700 km2 of land have become barren due to logging.



One of the major problems in the Kalimantan forest management is the "injustice". On the one hand holders Mastery Forest (HPH) cutting down small and large timber, on the other hand local residents who took the wood for household use are said to be a thief. Yes, thieves in your own home!

HPH entered and penetrated the woods Kalimantan since enactment of Law No. 1 Year 1967 on Penamaman Modal Dalam Negeri (PMDN). Leaning on the pretext that forest management would benefit the local population was born of Law No. 5 / 1967 on Basic-Basic Forestry and Government Regulation No. 21 Year 1976 on the Right of Possession Forest and Forest Product Harvesting.

As noted by Walhi that conservation concessions in the last two decades with the drastic sharply. In 1968 for example, a new timber concessions have 25 units, increasing to 574 in 1990. While production rose sharply withered logs from 6 million cubic meters in 1967 to 31 million cubic meters per year in 1990. But as a successful foreign exchange earned from exports of forest worth U.S. $ 3 million (1960) sharply to U.S. $ 300 million in 1988.

Immediately after the launch came the concessions package at Kalbar PIR (Perkebunan Inti Rakyat) and HTI (Hutan Tanaman Industri).

The arrival of this package was a welcome from many parties, especially from investors. They know that the project will soon make money. On the pretext of "lifting people destitute" investors managed to convince people to take off their land ownership rights.

The approach used quite convincing. First of all the investors had opened the roads, land indemnify the population, employing a small local minimum wage.

The results of research conducted by Syarief Ihrahim Alqadrie of Tanjungpura University, Pontianak (1996) noted that the location of HTI in Sanggau Kapuas rank local residents who worked at the highest HTI is the project foreman.

Unfortunately, frequent forest mapping for PIR and HTI uses a radius line without mengindahkah that the area is acreage (land) customary rights of local residents. This is what triggered the conflict between forest managers with a population due to conflict of interest. When people demand their rights, they are regarded as a barrier and oppose development. Local residents and blind stamped stupid law.

No wonder then there were many riots between entrepreneurs and the forests in West Kalimantan local residents. For example in the case Jekak, Ketapang (1994) conflicts with the concession holder resident in the piece, and the expulsion of illegal timber in Sengah Temila, Pontianak Regency. The dispute also occurred in the projects and gold mining quarry.


The conflict of forest management that is not fair that will continue to happen. The problem is Indonesia not yet ratified ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous Nations and Indigenous Peoples in Independent Countries, issued on June 27, 1989.

On the other hand, society as a native Dayak Kalimantan, has a variety of patterns of forest ownership. That finally happened resistance to injustice and arbitrariness, it was just local residents attempt to defend themselves.

This is in accordance with the motto of the Dayaks, "Just step on its tail dog will bite, especially if the heavy use it is human!"

So Kalimantan forest destroyer not a native (impossible to burn the kitchen of their own) but the forest entrepreneurs, miners wild and greedy investors.