Save the Leuser Ecosystem/Message from OFI

[Guest guest]

Dear OEAN members,

 

I wanted to wish you a belated happy new year and let

you know that orangutans and their habitat continue to

face a very uncertain future. What is certain is that

without the combine help of people such as yourselves,

the battle to save orangutans and their habitat, will

be extremely difficult.

 

I received this email today and wanted to distribute

it to the OEAN membership as soon as possible. Please

consider participating in the letter writing campaign

to save the Leuser Ecosystem Region of Sumatra where a

large population of orangutans live. Ask others to

participate as well to make the campaign more

effective.

 

Thank you for your time and concern.

 

Regards,

 

Gary Shapiro, Ph.D.

Vice President

Orangutan Foundation International

4201 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 407

Los Angeles, CA 90010, USA

(323) 938-6046; fax: (323) 938-6047

ofi , www.orangutan.org

Join today! Support our efforts to defend Tanjung

Puting National Park from illegal loggers

 

-

Kala Mulqueeny

Undisclosed-Recipient:;

Cc: Teddy85 ; hasjrul ;

Stephanie_Fried ;

yarrow ; mokko

Sunday, January 19, 2003 10:36 PM

Conservation Battle in Indonesia

 

Dear All:

 

Many, many thank yous to those who sent letters or

lent me their names following my December 2, 2002

request for help to save the Leuser Ecosystem in

northern Sumatra from destruction. Your letters begun

the international campaign. Particular thank you’s

to those who sent letters or sent me their names –

with the caveat “for what its worth.” The battle is

still far from won, but the international letter

writing pressure campaign is having an impact in

Indonesia ! More than 1000 letters have been written

in recent weeks, and more than 1200 people have signed

an on-line petition to save the Leuser Ecosystem.

The World Bank is now opposed to the construction of

roads through the ecosystem, and is also lobbying

against the project in Indonesia. For those

interested, attached is the translation of a letter

from the State Minister of National Development

Planning to the Governor of Aceh province mentioning

the international campaign and putting strong pressure

on the Governor to investigate alternatives to the

road network, and pay proper attention to

environmental assessment this is as a result of lots

of names and letters like yours !

 

For those who still wish to contribute to the

campaign: we are diversifying pressure, now that the

World Bank opposes the road. Unless I hear otherwise

from those of you that lent me your name to the

initial letters, I will assume that I can also send a

letter stating your name and title to the President of

the European Union in Indonesia, and to Emil Salim, a

high profile Indonesian conservationist who should be

able to assist. For those of you who wish to increase

your impact set out below and also attached is

information and a model letter that YOU can EMAIL

DIRECTLY to the President of the EU (and email cc's)

to have an impact. Every single email counts, and we

would be grateful if you could take the 2 minutes to

send it. But, thank you already, because already you

have helped the campaign to save Leuser !! (If you

feel you know enough about Leuser but wish to send the

email, scroll down to the head " model letter. " Pls

dont forget the cc's these are important ! If you

only wish to send one cc. Send it to

Leuser3.

 

Please forward this email broadly. You can sign the

petition at

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/935075622;

and find more information at

http://www.duke.edu/~mym1/suaqroad.htm as of Wednesday

next week, you will be able to follow updates on the

campaign at

http://www.law.harvard.edu/programs/elp/Links.htm.

 

Thank you again. Because together we are making a

difference !

 

Regards,

 

Kala Mulqueeny

 

SJD Candidate and Environmental Law Fellow

 

Fellow of the Program in Welfare, Justice and

Economics,

 

Cambridge, Massuchusettes, 02138

___________

 

Dear Friends,

 

I write to enlist your help to stop an urgent threat

to The Leuser Ecosystem Region in Sumatra, Indonesia.

An international campaign has been underway for almost

2 months now: over 1000 letters have been written; a

petition with over 1200 names has been instigated, the

World Bank is now opposed to the threat, and the

international campaign is beginning to make an impact

in Indonesia. But, the battle is far from won.

Until now, the campaign has focused on the World Bank,

but now that the World Bank is opposed to the threat,

we are targeting the European Union, who also will

have a say.

 

The Leuser Ecosystem Region in Sumatra, Indonesia, is

one of the most important conservation “hotspots” on

earth. It contains over 25,000 of the world’s known

species, including 4.2% of all the known bird species

on the planet. It also contains 3.2% of all the known

species of mammals on earth. This includes the last

remaining viable populations of the Sumatran

orang-utan (Pongo abelii), Sumatran tiger (Panthera

tigris sumatrae) and Sumatran elephant (Elephas

maximus sumatranus), as well as the largest population

of the most critically endangered large mammal on

earth, the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis).

Every new taxonomy survey has found more new species.

 

 

The Leuser Ecosystem covers some 26,000 sq. km. of

tropical rainforest. About 80% of the Ecosystem is

located in the province of Aceh, where a bloody civil

war has cost over 10,000 lives during the last 26

years. A peace settlement was signed December 9,

2002, inaugurating a process of reconstruction for the

devastated region.

 

The Aceh government wants to get funds released from

the central government to build road networks through

the Leuser Ecosystem, including a network called Ladia

Galaska. A December 2002, World Bank review of Aceh’s

peaceful development finds that most public

expenditure in Aceh is not well spent, fails to reach

the poor and fails to improve their livelihoods. The

existing highways in Aceh have formal and informal

checkpoints, upon which bribes are extracted from

those traveling the road. A national and international

campaign has been launched calling on Indonesia’s

international donors to make their funding to

Indonesia conditional upon the roads not proceeding,

but the President of Indonesia has indicated her

willingness to let the road networks proceed. Thus,

an international campaign has been targeting

Indonesia’s donors to try and ensure that the Rp. 1.5

trillion (approximately 165 USD) to be spent on the

road, is spent in ways that benefit local people and

do not destroy the ecosystem. A meeting of Indonesia’s

international donors will be held on January 21-22,

2003 in Bali (next Tuesday-Wednesday). At that time,

media spotlight will be on Indonesia, and it is an

optimum time to be exerting international pressure.

 

Requested Action:

 

Please write a letter to the President of the European

Union in Indonesia (or adapt the model letter provided

below). If possible please provide it on or prior to

January 21-22, which marks a meeting of international

donors: a key event in the campaign. Below you will

find updated excerpts from the action alert we

received from an Indonesian coalition to save Leuser,

co-ordinated by SKEPHI (The Indonesian NGO’s Network

for Forest Conservation) and Yayasan Leuser

Internasional (the Leuser International Foundation).

 

 

1. The Leuser Ecosystem, one of the most

important conservation areas on earth, is now

threatened with destruction.

 

2. The provincial government of Aceh, supported

by local governments around the Leuser Ecosystem, is

pushing ahead with major road networks, including one

called ‘Ladia Galaska’, that will eventually lead to

the destruction of all high biodiversity areas in

Leuser. After a meeting in Jakarta on November 26,

2002, the provincial government of Aceh has received

approval from 3 ministers of the central government,

against the advice of concerned NGO’s, to proceed with

the controversial road development plans. The

Minister for the Environment and the Minister of

Forestry were initially prepared to let the roads

proceed, but their commitment to the road project now

seems to be wavering in the light of the

international campaign that has been underway for the

last few months. The Minister of National Planning,

sent a letter to the Governor of Aceh on January 13,

mentioning the international pressure campaign, and

calling upon the Governor to respect all environmental

assessment laws. But, the President of Indonesia

indicated her indifference to letting the roads

proceed, on December 17, 2002, and ultimately it is

only the President of Indonesia that can officially

intervene.

 

3. Since some of the local governments do not

follow the laws over proper environmental impact

assessments (EIA’s), only intervention by the

President of Indonesia, through lobbying by NGO’s and

the donor community, can prevent the destruction of

Leuser.

 

4. Current roads through Leuser have already led

to uncontrolled logging that has led to floods that,

in turn, have caused major destruction of public

infrastructure and loss of lives. USAID was the first

donor agency to fund roads through Leuser in 1982 that

split the Mount Leuser National Park in two, leading

to uncontrolled illegal settlements inside the

National Park, as well as an ever expanding wave of

encroachment, illegal logging and poaching of

endangered species.

 

5. In 1995, the European Union joined the

Government of Indonesia to fund a EUR 50.5 million 7

year joint integrated and development project: the

Leuser Development Program, to conserve the Leuser

Ecosystem, and facilitate local development in

Leuser’s buffer zones. It was extended for 2 years

until November 9, 2004 with a revised budget to take

account of the the devaluation of the Indonesian

rupiah that accompanied the Asian economic crisis. The

budget is now 37 million EUR until 2004.) The LDP has

had significant success, but illegal logging remains

widespread in many parts of the Leuser Ecosystem.

 

6. Since 1998, Indonesia’s international

creditors have been meeting with the Government of

Indonesia in at least 6 monthly meetings in a forum

called the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI). In

that forum, the Government of Indonesia and the CGI

consider the policy’s and reform process to facilitate

Indonesia’s development and transition Indonesia to a

functioning democracy. The next meeting will be

conducted in Bali on January 21-22, 2002.

 

7. International donors, including the World

Bank, USAID, Japan and European governments, have

formed a new group to assist Aceh recover from decades

of conflict. But, this group will be folded into the

CGI meeting on January 21-22. These donors are being

lobbied to exert pressure on the Government of

Indonesia and the provincial government of Aceh, to

stop the roads in the Leuser Ecosystem. Already in

2002, a Japanese agency (JBIC) funded a bridge at

Rundeng in Aceh Singkil that leads straight into the

Singkil Swamp Wildlife Reserve. This will allow direct

access for illegal loggers to log the swamp forest

that contains 46% of the bird species of Sumatra and

the largest single population of the Sumatran

orang-utan.

 

8. An alliance of local NGO’s in Indonesia has

been formed to campaign against the new road projects

in Leuser. Since it is a political issue to go ahead

with the roads, they need more support from

international NGO’s and concerned individuals to lobby

the international donors.

 

9. It is important to support aid for the

reconstruction of the war-stricken Aceh, through

proper sustainable development, to help alleviate the

decades of suffering of the Acehnese people. But this

support should be conditional upon no destruction of

the environment.

 

10. Please help protect Leuser by writing a short,

polite letter to the President of the European Union

in Indonesia, or adapt the model letter provided

below. Please also provide it to Yayasan Leuser

International (YLI), Jalan Dr Mansyur 68, Medan, North

Sumatra 20154, Indonesia (e-mail:

Leuser3 ), Fax No. +62-61-8216808.

Please include cc’s to the addresses listed below.

Most of the cc’s listed to this letter are expected to

attend the CGI meeting mentioned above. It would be

very helpful if you are sending the letter by email,

to send your cc’s to all of those listed below.

 

Address your letter to:

 

The Honorable

Alexious G Choistopoulus

President of European Union in Indonesia

Embassy of Greece

Plaza 89, Lt 12

Jl. Rasuna Said Kav. X / 7 / 6

Kuningan

Jakarta 125950

Indonesia

Fax.: +62-21-5207753

E-mail: grembas

 

Send cc.s to those names listed below the model letter

 

And send it by email c/o Leuser3

 

emiwaty_kj, cunit3,

grembas, asteer,

italemba, takehiko.nakao,

naoko.ishii, a-sasaki,

delegation-indonesia,

masato.watanabe, h-arakawa

 

Please include a Re-line: Urgent: CGI Meeting:

Peaceful Development and Protected Forests in Aceh

 

*************

MODEL LETTER

*************

 

The Honorable

Alexious G Choistopoulus

President of European Union in Indonesia

Embassy of Greece

Plaza 89, Lt 12

Jl. Rasuna Said Kav. X / 7 / 6

Kuningan

Jakarta 125950

Indonesia

Fax.: +62-21-5207753

E-mail: gremb

 

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

 

Ladia Galaska road network, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam,

Sumatra, Indonesia

 

I refer to the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI)

meeting to be held January 21-22, 2003 in Nusa Dua

Bali, and call upon the EU to act in concert with

other donors to prevent the destruction of the Leuser

Ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia, and the immense waste

of European and Indonesian public monies that will

result from its destruction.

 

The European Union’s (EU) investment in the €37

million integrated conservation and development

project: the Leuser Development Program (LDP), in

Sumatra, Indonesia is to be congratulated. As is the

foresight the EU demonstrated in the early 1990s by

providing the grant of €997,000 to support the initial

work that led to the LDP. As you know, these

financial investments have significantly contributed

to Indonesia’s ability to conserve the Leuser

Ecosystem: one of the world’s most important

conservation hotspots. It has also facilitated local

development for people living in areas surrounding the

Ecosystem. Efforts are underway to propose it for

World Heritage listing. I write for concern that the

Leuser Ecosystem, is now threatened with destruction,

and the EUs investment of public funds to assist

Indonesia conserve its World Heritage will be wasted.

You may aware, that the provincial government of Aceh,

supported by local governments around the Leuser

Ecosystem, is pushing ahead with a series of major

roads, including the road network called Ladia Galaska

that will cost at least Rp. 1.5 trillion (about €158

million) and will eventually lead to the destruction

of all high biodiversity areas in the Leuser

Ecosystem. It will also lead to the impoverishment of

local people surrounding the Leuser Ecosystem. Similar

roads in the past, have led to uncontrolled illegal

logging, that in turn led to floods that, in turn,

have caused major destruction of public infrastructure

and loss of lives.

 

I call upon the EU to join with the World Bank and

other donors to prevent the construction of the Ladia

Galaska roads, and the destruction of the Leuser

Ecosystem, and immense waste of public monies that

will result from its construction. Specifically, the

EU and the donor group should:

 

1. not fund any infrastructure projects that

will lead to devastation of the Leuser Ecosystem;

 

2. call upon the central government, the

provincial government of Aceh, and the local district

governments to follow and implement all Indonesian

laws in the construction of any infrastructure

projects, including laws relating to environmental

assessment; and undertake a demand-based provincial

technical feasibility study of Aceh’s transportation

needs. Enforcement of law should be verified by an

independent third party NGO;

 

3. obtain a commitment from the provincial

government of Aceh and all related local regency

governments, that they will not substitute any of

their provincial or regency budget resources for

projects that are likely to lead to degradation of the

Leuser Ecosystem;

 

4. make any commitment to any Acehenese

government conditional on a prior commitment of the

provincial government and all related local

governments to strive to conserve the Leuser

Ecosystem, including a commitment to eliminate all

illegal logging; and

 

5. issue jointly with other donors, a

declaration of opposition to the Ladia Galaska roads

that includes a request to the Government of Indonesia

to suspend the road project and prevent the provincial

government of Aceh substituting funds from its

regional budget to construct the roads

 

We call on the EU to give this top priority to help

ensure the success of the new peace agreement and

alleviate the suffering of the Acehnese people over

the last 26 years.

 

Thank you for your attention to these urgent matters,

 

Sincerely,

 

[Your Name.]

 

cc.

 

The Honorable,

Francesco Maria Greco,

Incoming President of the European Union in Indonesia

Italian Embassy

Jl Diponegoro 45

Jakarta 10310

Fax (62 21) 337 422

italemba

 

Ambassador Sabato Della Monica

Head of Delegation of The European Commission

in Indonesia

Wisma Dharmala Sakti, 16th Floor

Jl Jend Sudirman 32

Po Box 6454 Jkpd

Jakarta 10220

 

Indonesia

Fax (62 21) 570 6075

 

Email: delegation-indonesia

 

Dr. Dorodjatun Kuntjorojakti

Co-ordinating Minister of Economic Affairs of the R.I.

FAX: Int'l code+62-21-5205514

Email: emiwaty_kj

 

 

 

James D. Wolfensohn, President

The World Bank

1818 H Street NW

Washington, DC 20433

FAX: Int'l code+ 202-522-3031

Email: cunit3

 

 

 

Andrew Steer, Country Director

The World Bank Office, Jakarta

Jakarta Stock Exchange Building Tower 2, 12th Floor,

Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53, Jakarta 12190,

Indonesia

Email: asteer

 

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

 

Mr. Masato Watanabe, Loan Aid Division,

Econ. Cooperation Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs

2-11-1 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8519

Fax: +81-3-6402-2095

 

Email: masato.watanabe,

 

The Japanese Ministry of Finance:

 

Ms. Takehiko Nakao, Development Policy Division

The Ministry of Finance, Japan

3-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8940

Fax: +81-3-5251-2161

 

Email: takehiko.nakao

 

 

Ms. Naoko Ishii, Development Institution Division

The Ministry of Finance, Japan

3-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8940

Fax: +81-3-5251-2139

Email: naoko.ishii

 

JBIC:

Mr. Atsushi Sasaki, Division 2 (Yen Loan to Indonesia)

Development Assistance Dept. 1

Japan Bank for International Cooperation

4-1 Ohtemachi 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8144

Fax: +81-3-5218-3970

 

Email: a-sasaki

 

Mr. Hiroto Arakawa General, Development Assistance Dept. 1

Japan Bank for International Cooperation

4-1 Ohtemachi 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8144

Fax: +81-3-5218-3970

 

Email: h-arakawa

 

---------

 

STATE MINISTER

 

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING/

 

HEAD OF BAPPENAS

 

Jakarta, 13 January 2003

 

Number: 0148/M.PPN/01/2003 To

 

Construction of Ladia Galaska

Governor Nanggroe Aceh

 

Highway Darussalam (NAD)

 

In –

 

Banda Aceh

 

Referring to your letter Number 620/35327, dated 21

December 2002, addressed to the Minister of

Settlements and Regional Infrastructure, with the

subject of proposal of program implementation of Ladia

Galaska highway by Multi Year Contract, which was also

copied to the State Minister of PPN/Head of Bappenas,

herewith we convey some critical issues that need to

be observed:

 

1. The planning of the highway construction has

received lots of reactions both supporting and

rejecting of the said plan. Several parties have sent

their objections to us, among others from the World

Bank, as well as NGOs and individuals from local or

international side. We also received information about

an effort to prepare a petition in the international

world to object to the opening of the Ladia Galaska

highway which will cross the forest district of the

Leuser Ecosystem (KEL). In the same time, we also

acknowledge the consideration of needs to construct

the highway in order to link the isolated regions at

the west coast with the economic centers of the east

coast.

 

2. Meanwhile there has been an agreement between the

Minister of Forestry, State Minister of Environment

and Minister of Kimpraswil, dated 1 August 2002, which

among others agreed that several paths of “new” roads

which will have to shift the function of forest will

be taken care of by an integrated team, and the paths

of road which will still need to await the feasibility

study by AMDAL in order to carefully consider the

implementation.

 

3. Considering the above issues, we conclude that it

is necessary to attempt comprehensive, cautious and

anticipative steps towards the possible reactions of

the international community which will discredit not

only the development of NAD, but will also affect the

national development in general. Therefore we propose

the following steps to be taken:

 

a. To reevaluate the construction of the Ladia Galaska

paths road by involving various concerned parties. As

for the “old” paths which need

rehabilitation/improvement, the management could be

prioritized earlier. Meanwhile for the “new” paths of

road still need further study in accordance with the

agreement of the above three Ministers stipulated in

item (2) above.

 

b. It is necessary to find the alternative routes for

the new roads that as far as possible could avoid

cutting across the natural forest of the Leuser

Ecosystem area, which has raised anxieties of most

parties that it will increase the illegal logging

activities and thus will affect the KEL as a whole.

 

c. Serious efforts and significant steps are required

by all parties to avoid the natural forest destruction

at the KEL, so that environmental disaster such as

landslide, flood and drought as well as the

extermination of biodiversity as feard by the national

and international environmentalists.

 

We hope the above steps could be taken as your

consideration. Thank you for your attention and

cooperation.

 

State Minister of PPN/Head of Bappenas

 

Kwik Kian Gie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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