ILLEGAL LOGGING: MAWAS UNDER THREAT AGAIN 

It appears that the peat forests of Kapuas Regency, particularly those in the working area of ​​the BOS Foundation’s Mawas Conservation Program, are still under threat. In August 2018, the Kapuas Regional Police secured as many as 800 logs from illegal logging activities in Mantangai, Kapuas Regency. Now, in the same area, the Mawas Conservation Program team has discovered hundreds of logs that look ready to be processed. 

Just last week, the Mawas Conservation Program’s patrol team–who are tasked with monitoring an enormous ​​309,000-hectare area of peat swamp forest and former peat swamp forest—again found hundreds of logs, estimated at around 200 m3 in volume, floating in the Mantangai River. When the team travelled further down to the Rantau Upak area in Mangkatip and Lake Telu, even more logs were located. Since the Mawas Conservation Program team does not possess the legal authority to take action against this violation, the find was immediately reported to the Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) and the local police. 

Manager of the Mawas Conservation Program, Jhanson Regalino – also known as Bang Uji – expressed disappointment at this finding, and was deeply concerned about the ongoing negative effects of rampant illegal logging. 

“Estimates suggest that 2019 will be a very hot year, and illegal logging, which is still happening, will surely worsen the situation. The more that forest areas are cleared, the greater the potential for fire outbreaks. Therefore, we need to increase patrols and protection against fires in this region. Hopefully, with the cooperation of stakeholders such as the ‘Protection’ Forest Management Unit (KPHL), the BKSDA, the police, and local communities, we can all keep this area safe,” Bang Uji stressed.