KLHK Director: Illegal Logging Threatens The Extinction Of Sumatran Tigers

Illustration-Director of Forest Prevention and Security of the Directorate General of Law and Human Rights of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Sustiono Iriono (ANTARA)

SUMSEL - Director of Forest Prevention and Security at the Directorate General of Law and Human Rights at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Sustiono Iriono stated that illegal logging in the forest area of the border area of South Sumatra and Jambi could threaten the extinction of the Sumatran tiger.

To prevent further forest destruction and the extinction of the Sumatran tiger, the South Sumatra Police must carry out more aggressive operations to eradicate illegal logging.

Sustiono added, there are only a few hundred Sumatran tigers left. "If the forest as its habitat continues to be destroyed by illegal logging, it threatens the existence of tigers and other animals," said Sustiono when releasing the disclosure of the arrest of 18 illegal logging suspects with evidence of 500 cubic meters of wood at the South Sumatra Police Headquarters, Palembang, Antara, Friday. , February 4th.

Illegal logging in the South Sumatra-Jambi border area revealed by the South Sumatra Police at the end of January 2022 has an impact on the sustainability of the Sumatran tiger.

"The Sumatran tiger is an animal that is only found on the island of Sumatra and has the status of a critically endangered species, with a high risk of extinction in the wild," he explained.

To protect it from the threat of extinction, in addition to stopping illegal logging, his party invites the community to jointly maintain sustainability by not catching, injuring, killing, storing, possessing, maintaining, transporting, and trading the protected animals alive or dead.

Then do not install snares, poisons, high voltage electric fences that can cause the death of Sumatran tigers and other protected wildlife.

"We are not able to enforce the law on our own, for that we continue to cooperate with relevant agencies such as the police, TNI, and the community together against environmental and forestry crimes," said Sustiono.

Meanwhile, South Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Toni Harmanto explained. a team from the Polairud Directorate and the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation together with the Gakkum team from the Directorate General of KLHK last Tuesday raided the location of illegal logging in a limited production forest area in Muara Medak Village, Bayung Lencir District, Musi Banyuasin Regency. This location is directly adjacent to Jambi Province.

From this raid, officers secured 18 people at the illegal logging location and secured 500 cubic meters of logs from illegal logging as well as wood cutting machine tools, one machete, and two trucks.

Then in the 13 km long river around the location of illegal logging, there are still logs from logging which are washed away through elephant trenches. Illegal logging activities in the limited production forest area have been going on for 12 years since 2008.

"To get to the location of illegal logging it takes a long time, about 12 hours from Palembang City and requires an uphill battle because the road is muddy," said the Kapolda.