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Indonesian Loggers

Rachael Parks

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The Situation• A flash flood on the island of Sumatra

(the size of Great Britain) killed at least 80 people.

• 100 are still missing as the search continues.

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• The flood was thought to be made worse by the extensive logging.

• Indonesian Environment Minister has called illegal loggers "terrorists.“

• The minister, Nabiel Makarim, blamed corrupt officials and business people for the practice.

Illegal Loggers Are Blamed

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Environmental Destruction

• President Megawati blamed the Sumatra flood on environmental destruction.

• But it is difficult to combat the illegal logging because they get financial support and protection from members of the police and some government agencies.

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Debris

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The Flash Floods hit Bukit Lawang Monday – about 90 kilometers northwest of the regional centre, Medan.

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Village Destroyed

• The Village is part of a tourist hiking trial.

• Guesthouses and roads have been washed away

• settlements have been coated in a layer of mud, logs and rubble.

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Logging Impact

• The tragedy has focused attention once again on the rapid destruction of Indonesia's forests.

• The area is hit by floods every year.

• but illegal logging has stripped the area of the tree coverage and other vegetation, which would normally absorb water during the rainy season.

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Causes

• Government ordered the felling of 100s of trees for highway construction in a neighboring district.

• The North Sumatra governor, Rizal Nurdin, blamed illegal logging for the disaster, and said the central government was not doing enough to tackle the problem.

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Problems

• Area may be closed to visitors for up to 6 months.

• This will have a devastating impact on local villagers, many of whom work in service industries.

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Further Problems• This devastation is yet another of

Indonesia's "dirty little secrets.”

• Among their concerns is the irresponsible destruction of vast areas of rainforest, including the national park.

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Conclusion

• The Island contained some of the most important and largest tracts of rainforest in the world.

• The rate at which these forests are being wiped out is appalling and has a far reaching impact.

• Some say these rainforests are the lungs of the planet, which are being destroyed.