West Sumatra Forest Cover Below 30 Percent, DPR Urges Rehabilitation of Barisan Hills

The Bukit Barisan Sumbar tourist area (Antara))

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Rina Saadah, urged the government to immediately carry out a thorough rehabilitation of the Bukit Barisan Forest area, following the shrinking of forest cover in West Sumatra. Rina assessed that the shrinking of forest cover would increase the risk of flooding and landslides.

Rina's insistence was made in response to the statement of the Minister of Environment, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, who emphasized that the floods in West Sumatra were not only triggered by extreme rain, but were also influenced by the decreasing forest cover and the geomorphological conditions of the region.

"The statement of the Minister of Environment must be followed up concretely. This is a serious alarm for the condition of forests in West Sumatra," Rina told reporters, Thursday, December 18.

"The Ministry of Forestry as the forest area manager must immediately carry out the rehabilitation of the Bukit Barisan Forest in a measurable and sustainable manner," he said.

Rina explained that the Bukit Barisan Mountains are the main ecological buffer area of the island of Sumatra. However, according to him, uncontrolled land use changes have led to forest degradation.

"And reduce the ability of the area to absorb water and hold high rainfall," he explained.

Based on data from the Ministry of Environment, continued Rina, forest cover in West Sumatra is currently estimated to be below 30 percent. Meanwhile, said Rina, of the 16 river basins (DAS) that were affected, the average forest cover was only around 38 percent.

He assessed that this condition increases the potential for hydrometeorological disasters, especially in areas with steep slopes that face directly the Indian Ocean.

"When the ecological function of forests is weakened, the impact is very real. Floods and landslides cause casualties, damage thousands of houses, and have an impact on educational and religious facilities," he said.

Therefore, Rina emphasized the importance of rehabilitating Bukit Barisan Forest. "Not only for disaster mitigation, but also to restore the balance of the ecosystem and the sustainability of people's lives," said the West Java PKB legislator.

Rina also encourages rehabilitation to be carried out through watershed-based reforestation, land use control, and community involvement through social forestry schemes. He assessed that these efforts are important to maintain biodiversity and protect the habitats of various endemic species in the Bukit Barisan area.

"We hope that the government will make the rehabilitation of Bukit Barisan Forest a national priority for the safety of the environment and the future of the people of Sumatra," he concluded.