Polairud Bima Reveals Case Of Illegal Coral Reef Shipping

Polairud members with BKSDA officers in the activity of releasing illegally caught coral reefs in the Sape area, at So Numbe Beach, Bima, NTB, Tuesday (19/7/2022). ANTARA/HO-Satpolairud Bima City

MATARAM - The Law Enforcement Team of the Water and Air Police Unit of the Bima City Police, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), has uncovered a case of illegally shipping coral reefs.

Head of the Bima City Satpolairud Police, Ipda Syarif Rijaidinsyah, said that the disclosure began with information from the public regarding the illegal sale and purchase of coral reefs in the Sape area.

"After being traced by conducting field patrols, our team found a pickup truck carrying six boxes of coral reefs without having any official documents," Syari said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 20.

From the arrest that took place on Tuesday (19/7) early in the morning on Jalan Raya Lintas Kumbe-Sape, the transport driver with the initials SR (41) was also secured along with the vehicle and six boxes of coral reefs.

To the police, SR admitted that he only received transportation services from the shipper with the initials IM (35), a resident of Sape, Bima Regency. The plan, the coral reefs will be sent to the western region, to the island of Bali and Java.

Syarif said that his party had coordinated the catch with the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) for the Regional Conservation Section (SKW) III Bima-Dompu.

"Based on the results of the BKSDA identification, the coral reefs we confiscated are unprotected species, but are included in the CITES Appendix II category whose circulation must be monitored and accompanied by documents," he said.

The documents that are required for completeness of transportation, he explained, are issued by the BKSDA in the form of a Domestic Plant and Animal Transport Letter (SATS_DN).

By obtaining information from the BKSDA, the police did not impose a crime on the owner or transporter of the coral reefs.

"So this is an administrative violation," he said.

Even the owner and driver, the police provide an understanding regarding the prohibition of buying and selling coral reefs without legal documents.

"To be able to send them legally, they are advised to take care of the documents at the BKSDA," said Syarif.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Gakkum Satpolairud Unit of the Bima City Police Aipda Indra Setiawan said that the results of the joint inspection with the Bima-Dompu BKSDA SKW III Team, there were 360 coral reefs that were secured from the shipping action.

"Each box contains 60 plastic wrappers. Each plastic contains coral reefs with the size of two to five adult fingers. So a total of 360 coral reefs," said Indra.

The confiscated coral reefs included Euphyllia Cristata, Euphyllia Ancora, Euphyllia Grabrescens, donut coral and soft coral. Some of them also have artificial and non-substrate types that are included in the type of cultivation.

Following up on the catch, he continued, the Bima City Police Satpolairud Team together with BKSDA SKW III Bima-Dompu released all coral reefs in So Numbe waters, Bima City, Tuesday (19/7) morning.

All coral reefs are removed from the plastic packaging and then released gradually, brought to the seabed with an average depth of about five meters.

As for the legal basis for releasing coral reefs to their natural habitats, Indra explained, they were carried out in accordance with the Letter of the Minister of Forestry Number 447/KPTS-2/2003 of 2003 concerning the Administration of Collection/Capture and Distribution of Plants and Animals.