Hundreds Of Thousands Of Hectares Of Forest In Central Sulawesi Damaged Due To Illegal Logging And Mining

PALU - Acting Head of Lore Lindu National Park Agency (BTNLL) Hasmuni Hasman stated that forest damage in Central Sulawesi (Sulteng) Province is due to rampant logging and illegal mining as well as due to changes in spatial planning in forest areas.

"This condition occurs both in the forests located within the Lore Lindu National Park area and outside the Lore Lindu National Park area," he said, Monday, March 21.

He explained that the forest area in Central Sulawesi which was categorized as critical due to damage due to deforestation or deforestation reached 264.874 hectares (Ha). This figure is stated in the Decree (SK) of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Number 306 of 2018 concerning the Determination of National Critical Land.

Based on 2019-2020 data, the deforestation rate in the Central Sulawesi Province is recorded to be only 44.523.9 hectares. It continues to decrease from 2018. Therefore, it is necessary to involve all parties including the community to overcome these problems.

"The forest in the Lore Lindu National Park area has been designated as a biosphere reserve since 1977 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and has become the lungs of the world. We all have to pay attention to preserve the forest," he said.

Hasmuni explained that in order for the forests in Central Sulawesi, which are still in critical condition, to recover quickly, the Balai Taman Nasional Lore Lindu (BTNLL) cooperates with various parties and the community in various ways, such as replanting various types of forest plants in denuded forest areas or reforestation.

Then provide assistance to communities living in buffer villages or in villages directly adjacent to Lore Lindu National Park in order to reduce dependence on forests as their main livelihood.

"So that they do not depend entirely on forests for their lives, we help with mentoring programs in the form of training and assistance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)," he said.

In addition, he added that his party also made the people in the buffer villages and the people living in the Lore Lindu National Park the subjects of protecting the forest from destruction attempts by irresponsible parties.