REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PADANG -- Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) reported some natural forests in the West Sumatra province may face extinction due to the rapid illegal logging, the director Uslaini stated here on Tuesday.
"The (West Sumatra) province has about 2.3 million hectares natural forests. During 2009 to 2013, the number of the land had declined by 81,830 hectares due to the deforestation," the West Sumatra Walhi executive director Uslaini stated in the capital city of Padang.
Because of the deforestation, now only 1,683 ha remained, she remarked while adding the rate of the illegal logging has reached around 20,457 ha per year.
According to the campaigner's records and studies, apart from the logging, the deforestation occurred because of the illegal mining, the wildfires, the plantations, and the industrial activities, as well as the poor forest management.
The provincial energy and natural resources bureau stated from 279 industrial permits applied in the areas, only 79 companies had the "clean and clear" status in term of the forest managements.
"The record signed a large number of companies had not complied with the rules. Hence, we predicted the natural forests in the province would go extinct," she added.
The loss would not only affect the animal, but also the community whose life dependent on the natural resources in the forests.
According to Walhi, the extinction would affect the well being of the people.
Uslaini stated some mining companies had exploited the forest without considering its future impacts on the environment.
She further explained all major aspects in life would be disrupted if the forests were destroyed, because people are dependent to the oxygen, water, and animal lived in the areas.
Meanwhile, the West Sumatra forest management chairman Mgo Senatong said the authority would continue to maintain the sustainability in the forests.
"We had educated in some communities lived nearby the forests, shared the seeds and called several prominent figures to increase their efforts in protecting the environment," he remarked.
He admitted, the government still needs to improve its supervision on some activities applied in the forests.
"However, we have a limited number of rangers and forest police, while in the other side, the number of the illegal loggers keep increased every year," he reiterated
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