Why Indonesia’s Ecological Riches Are Worth the Overwhelming Odds - The Jakarta Globe

Worth more thought and consideration and most of all to find a way to go back soon.

www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/indonesias-ecological-riches-worth-overwhelming-odds

Environmentalists and conservation people, including myself, are a whining lot. It's our professional affliction to complain about everything that is wrong about the world's environment and the conservation of its species. Where most people would look at a landscape and see beautiful views, green trees, and big skies, we see ecological devastation in the making, the wrong birds in those trees, and the signs of changing climate.

Now there is plenty to complain about, especially in a country like Indonesia with such a poor record of conservation and environmental management. What I want to make clear, though, is that despite our apparent pessimistic views, there is a huge sense of optimism and belief in a better world among many of us conservation folks. There is also great enjoyment in the work that we do. If it wasn't for that, we probably wouldn't have been here in the first place.

An obvious question anyone could ask me is: If it is all so bad, why do you even bother to work and live here? Why not go home to your own country and moan about the environment there? Leave Indonesian troubles for Indonesians to sort out, and go study rabbits in Dutch polder country.

One simple answer to this is that Indonesia is one of the most wonderful places on Earth to work in as a conservation scientist. It could hardly get more exciting and challenging. Don't get me wrong, rabbits are pretty cool, but studying their feeding habits cannot beat encountering an orangutan, tiger or bear somewhere deep in a tropical forest area, or trying to save these species from extinction.

Indonesia really is special. First of all, there are more species in this country than anywhere else in the world, apart from Brazil. The island of Borneo alone has some 633 species of bird, about the same as the whole of Europe, which is 15 times larger. There are at least 1,100 amphibian species in Indonesia, nearly four times as many as all of the amphibian species of Mexico, the United States and Canada combined. And some 75 percent of the coral species in the world occur in the waters in and around Indonesia. That is why they talk about "mega-diversity" here.

Maybe numbers of species aren't your thing, and you're more one for the visual experiences. Indonesia offers plenty of those, too. Seeing leopards and wild dogs stalk and kill deer and wild cattle on the grassland savannas of Baluran National Park in East Java is still among my best wildlife experiences ever.

And I will never forget the memories of diving in Komodo National Park over a reef teeming with fish, with below us three species of shark simultaneously cruising among them, and with an increasingly loud rattling and whistling that announced a group of bottlenose dolphins suddenly staring us in the eye.

You can't beat that for sheer exhilaration, and it would take a pretty jaded human being to not get at least some thrill out of such experiences.

Indonesia is so incredibly rich for a number of reasons. The Dutch referred to what is now Indonesia as the "Emerald Belt." And indeed Indonesia is like a long string of thousands of forest-clad islands. If anything stimulates speciation then it is island isolation and long-term climatic stability. Warm and humid conditions generally boost productivity and species richness too. On top of being a chain of tropical islands, Indonesia is also in an area where two major biotic zones meet, those from Asia and Australia. It would be nearly impossible to think of a better way to generate such vast species richness.

So, yes, the frustrations of being a conservationist in Indonesia are there. Most of the time, our work is an uphill struggle. My personal success rate after 22 years in this country of saving species or forest areas is depressingly low. And I am far from unique among fellow conservation-minded people and organizations. But the big question is, how much worse would things have been in the environment if we hadn't been here in the first place?

Indonesia often bears the brunt of negative publicity when it comes to environmental conservation. But in fact, compared to many other countries in Southeast Asia, this country is still in remarkably good shape. Nearby countries like Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines retain far less forest than Indonesia. Wildlife poaching in countries like Cambodia and Vietnam is such that encountering wildlife is now pretty much impossible.

What is great about Indonesia is that there so much still worth protecting. And what is sad is that so little is done to effectively achieve that. That's the kind of internal conflict I go to bed and get up with again, day in and day out.

Because if Indonesia could really see what is right in front of it, it would realize that it has a resource in its hands that is unique, that no other country in the world has, and that can never be replaced. If nature functioned like a financial asset, Indonesia's irreplaceable ecosystems and species would make it among the wealthiest countries in the world.

So, yes, I can see the need for economic development, for plantations, mines, infrastructure and towns, and to some extent that will require the sacrifice of wild lands. But what I don't understand is why this has to happen in such a poorly planned and implemented manner. Balancing economic, social and environmental objectives could be done so much more effectively. That's why I would like to stay a little longer to see what I can contribute. That's why I bother.

Erik Meijaard is a Jakarta-based conservation scientist.

"Pay attention to the open skies"

Critically endangered Sumatran Species on the Road to Extinction

Critically endangered wildlife, including some of the last Sumatran tigers as well as rhinos, bears and eagles, could be wiped out if plans go ahead to construct a major road through an Indonesian tropical forest reserve currently being restored by British conservationists. The 51km-road, which would enable 850 truckloads of coal a day to be exported more easily to power stations across south-east Asia, and also divide the Harapan rainforest, which is licensed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

This situation needs to get a lot more coverage. The Harapan Rainforest,  is an ecosystem restoration concession established in 2008 using new approaches to restore Indonesia's logged out production forests. International agribusinesses continue to destroy much of the whole island of Sumatra with devastating results for the wildlife there. This current proposed road would cut through the forest and is not needed as there are existing alternate roads outside the area. It looks necessary for the NGOs, UNEP, the World Bank and other international lending institutions to lead the way in reversing this threat. Pass it on...

Some of the world's most vulnerable creatures could be wiped out if a highway through the Haparan rainforest is approved

Dale Steele

dalet.steele@gmail.com

http://daletracks.blogspot.com/

"Preste la atención a los cielos abiertos usted nunca sabe lo que bajará"

Where animals go before extinction

Not the best way to see species let alone preserve them. Why not develop a strong conservation/ecotourism program and really draw people to view wildlife where they should be seen best?

Where animals go before extinction
http://news360.com/article/208528212

Mystery eruption traced to Indonesia

The discussion about effects that were felt in Europe are particularly amazing to consider.

Scientists think they have found the volcano responsible for a huge eruption in the 13th Century that perturbed the climate worldwide.

Read more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24332239


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"Java Heat" movie review?

I do like Mickey Rourke generally but can't say there is much encouragement here to take the time to watch this new movie.

Video: Indonesian movie 'Java Heat' trailer
Posted Apr 11, 2013 by Can Tran
IFC Films has released the trailer for the upcoming Indonesian action thriller movie known as "Java Heat" which stars Mickey Rourke.

BeyondHollywood.com
Promotional poster for the movie "Java Heat."
The trailer has been released for the upcoming Indonesian action film called "Java Heat." The movie is due to hit theaters come May 10 courtesy of IFC Films. So far, from what the trailer shows, there is a lot of intense action and combat. This is an example of what Southeast Asia let alone Indonesia has to offer when it comes to action films. While this is an Indonesian film, there has international star power as it stars Kellan Lutz and Mickey Rourke with the latter seemingly being cast as the main antagonist of the movie.
In this movie, the Sultana of the country is killed in a terrorist attack. Also, the Sultana's daughter gets kidnapped as a result. Jake, played by Lutz, is an American police officer who is the last person to be seen with the daughter. As a result, he becomes a suspect. But, he wants to solve the case and stop the terrorists which partners him with an Indonesian detective named Hashim who is portrayed by Ario Bayu. Their relationship is complicated and uneasy as Hashim still believes Jake is a suspect in the kidnapping.
For anybody that wants to watch the film, Java Heat hits theaters on May 10. For further information, one can check the movie's Facebook page.

Sent from Marvin.

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To Protect Indonesia’s Wildlife, Profit Holds the Key to Success

 Partial article from The Jakarta Globe
From March 3 to 14, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) held its triennial conference in Bangkok. Some 2,000 delegates representing 177 governments attended, claiming to know how to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the latter's survival. A recent op-ed article in the Jakarta Post by Cites experts educated the reader about why he or she needed "to care about a fish" but offered little substance on why the Cites methods would be successful in delivering results.

Despite a great deal of grandiloquent conference rhetoric, it seems that endangered species such as whales, Sumatran tigers and elephants have hitherto been deriving little benefit from the enlightened wisdom of the Cites bureaucrats and their army of publicly funded green NGOs.

In a study titled "National Park Management Between Rhetoric and Results: The Failure of Indonesia's Mainstream Conservation Model," I argue among other things that the belief in bureaucratic solutions is fatal for endangered species. Green groups are quick to denounce such pragmatic approaches as "green washing," which is a cheap way of begging the question of which solutions actually work. Unfortunately, all too often green activists are more concerned about attacking private enterprise and profit-making than finding truly sustainable methods that enjoy strong local support.

Cites prides itself on protecting endangered species by regulating their trade. "International wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars," the inter-governmental body writes on its website. By subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls, "according to the degree of protection they need," Cites believes to be effectively protecting wildlife. The main tool in its tool box is trade restriction.

The problem is, however, that demand for such species has proven to be highly inelastic (insensitive to price increases). Just think of the prohibitive prices Chinese buyers are willing to pay for exotic "medicines" such as rhino horn. Thus, trade restrictions only serve to drive prices further up because they create artificial scarcity, which increases incentives for poaching. That is why trade restrictions are counterproductive, as has been convincingly argued by environmental economist Michael 't Sas-Rolfes in his study "Saving African Rhinos: A Market Success Story." The best example for the ineffectiveness of trade restrictions is the US alcohol prohibition in the 1920s.

Moreover, a great number of empirical studies demonstrate that market solutions constitute a much more effective way to save wildlife from extinction than any trade restriction could ever hope to be. The reader who is interested in learning about sustainable wildlife management should open the website of the American Property and Environment Research Center (www.perc.org). There, he will learn that, for example, in Namibia, after ownership of wildlife was turned back to the people of Namibia in 1990, the country's wildlife registered a sharp increase.

Because of the economic value contained in the wildlife and the fact that the locals derive direct benefits from it, the problems of poaching and human-wildlife conflict are very limited. For example, trophy hunting not only provides the locals with the largest source of financial benefits but also provides an effective way of dealing with problem animals, such as crop-eating elephants. The Namibian model is so successful that delegations from around the world come to Namibia to see if they can replicate it.

However, the community conservancy model might not work in other countries. It works in Namibia because of the country's relatively small size: it only has 2.1 million inhabitants and a very low population density of three people per square kilometer. The mutual familiarity of the community members (societal homogeneity and cohesion) leads to effective social control.

By contrast, in diverse mass societies such as Indonesia the institution of individual private property lends itself to nature conservation. Effective property rights are the hallmark of a market economy. If Indonesia allowed such a market, vast economic potential by far outstripping the government-to-government transfer payments in the form of foreign conservation funds could be unleashed.

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Human Contact Leading to Odd Habits in Jambi Sumatran Tigers

Jakarta Globe | March 16, 2013

Jambi's Sumatran tigers have been behaving strangely following a surge in contact with humans, zoologists say.

Wisnu Whardana, a veterinarian and zoologist from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said increased sightings of the once-elusive creatures suggested a serious loss of their habitat as well as a decline in prey populations.

Wisnu pointed out that tigers normally avoid human settlements and plantations, but recent cases in Jambi, a province in central Sumatra, showed tigers are becoming more accustomed to human habitats.

There has also been a change in their feeding patterns, he said, with cattle found only partially consumed.

"Usually tigers would eat [their prey] to the bone. Now they just eat half a leg and leave," he said.

Wisnu postulated that Sumatran tigers in Jambi had contracted diseases from domesticated animals that led to uncharacteristic eating habits, but added further research was still needed.

Earlier this month a Jambi man sustained serious wounds to his left thigh after being attacked by a Sumatran tiger.

Sutrisno, 45, was tapping for rubber on his plantation.

The attack came just two weeks after two farmers in Jambi's West Tanjung Jabung were attacked by tigers and hospitalized. Last month, a domesticated cow in Batanghari was killed and eaten by tigers.

The Jambi chapter of the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) said the vast majority of Sumatra's tiger population live inside the Kerinci Seblat National Park.

The conservation area contains territory in three provinces — Jambi, West Sumatra and Bengkulu — and was heavily affected by recent floods.

Massive deforestation was also blamed for the increasing number of encounters with the species, of which there are only 30 to 40 in the entire province of Jambi.

BKSDA official and veteran tiger conservationist Bastoni said his office was seeking advice from Wisnu, who is also a consultant to zoos throughout the country, to help catch and relocate the tigers away from human populations.

The BKSDA, he said, has also employed two marksmen to sedate the tigers and help with relocation efforts, as well as locals familiar with the jungle and trained to locate the animals.

"This is what we are trying to do. Conservation of these tigers is not the responsibility of BKSDA alone but the whole society," he said.


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Article about the Green School & more

Some memories with this Jakarta Globe article

Bamboo Helps Bali Village Stay in Step With Nature | The Jakarta Globe
Those looking for a luxury abode that couples cutting-edge style and environmental sensibility should look no further than the Green Village, located 25 minutes outside the arts community of Ubud.

Set on two hectares of land along the Agung river, the striking bamboo villas, each one unique, are designed to blend into the flow of the surrounding landscape.

While some of the homes have been constructed specifically for families who have children at the nearby eco-friendly Green School, other residents are attracted to Green Village and see it as a one-of-a-kind community that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

“We started construction of the first house in May 2010 and have since built seven houses, with the eight being constructed across the river,” says Elora Hardy, creative director at Ibuku, the team behind the Green Village and Green School. “All are privately owned, either as residences or holiday homes, and some are available for rent.”

The houses are certainly striking: the majority of them have multiple, open-plan living areas, and air-conditioned rooms with woven walls.

Yet their most characteristic feature is that they are made from more than 90 percent bamboo.

“We try to use bamboo as much as possible, for both construction and interior decoration because it is strong, flexible and beautiful,” says the Bali-raised Hardy, who traveled back to the island from New York to work on the project.

With its three-year growth cycle and carbon sequestration capacity, bamboo might just be the most environmentally friendly building material currently available.

“Bamboo grows plentifully in clumps, which grow new shoots each year. If not harvested, the bamboo will eventually disintegrate, making room for a new generation,” Hardy says, adding that the bamboo used for the construction of the Green Village comes from individual farmers in Bali and Java.

Hardy is committed to opening people’s minds to the viability of bamboo as a construction material, and in particular its application possibilities in a tropical climate.

“Bamboo shoots are flexible and strong, and great for low-income housing in earthquake-prone areas,” she says.

“I realize that right now we are concentrating on the luxury market, but hopefully we are also elevating the perception of bamboo and inspiring people to use it on all levels. Ultimately our greatest impact will be that it’s embraced as a versatile and affordable building material across Indonesia and the tropics.”

Those looking for a luxury abode that couples cutting-edge style and environmental sensibility should look no further than the Green Village, located 25 minutes outside the arts community of Ubud.

Set on two hectares of land along the Agung river, the striking bamboo villas, each one unique, are designed to blend into the flow of the surrounding landscape.

While some of the homes have been constructed specifically for families who have children at the nearby eco-friendly Green School, other residents are attracted to Green Village and see it as a one-of-a-kind community that can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

“We started construction of the first house in May 2010 and have since built seven houses, with the eight being constructed across the river,” says Elora Hardy, creative director at Ibuku, the team behind the Green Village and Green School. “All are privately owned, either as residences or holiday homes, and some are available for rent.”

The houses are certainly striking: the majority of them have multiple, open-plan living areas, and air-conditioned rooms with woven walls.

Yet their most characteristic feature is that they are made from more than 90 percent bamboo.

“We try to use bamboo as much as possible, for both construction and interior decoration because it is strong, flexible and beautiful,” says the Bali-raised Hardy, who traveled back to the island from New York to work on the project.

With its three-year growth cycle and carbon sequestration capacity, bamboo might just be the most environmentally friendly building material currently available.

“Bamboo grows plentifully in clumps, which grow new shoots each year. If not harvested, the bamboo will eventually disintegrate, making room for a new generation,” Hardy says, adding that the bamboo used for the construction of the Green Village comes from individual farmers in Bali and Java.

Hardy is committed to opening people’s minds to the viability of bamboo as a construction material, and in particular its application possibilities in a tropical climate.

“Bamboo shoots are flexible and strong, and great for low-income housing in earthquake-prone areas,” she says.

“I realize that right now we are concentrating on the luxury market, but hopefully we are also elevating the perception of bamboo and inspiring people to use it on all levels. Ultimately our greatest impact will be that it’s embraced as a versatile and affordable building material across Indonesia and the tropics.”
“If a bamboo property is treated against insects and the design is right, bamboo houses should last generations. We treat the bamboo with a natural salt solution, and the treatment permanently protects it from insects,” she adds.

Once constructed, the villas require limited maintenance. Coating both structural and interior bamboo every three years will improve the villas’ appearance and durability. Hardy is hopeful that in the future further innovations will make the maintenance process even easier.

From the first bamboo structure to the move-in date, each villa takes from six months to two years to construct. The first step in the design process is getting the basic outline of the customer’s lifestyle and living requirements.

“While not all of the people who get into this do so because they feel strongly about the environment, all of them are creative, appreciate beauty and think outside the box,” Hardy says, adding that all of the current villa owners are based either in Asia or Australia.

A great deal of imagination is required in designing the interior of each villa. All the conventional items — water heaters, light switches, power points — are still necessary and, Hardy says, it can take an extra dose of creativity to make them unobtrusive in such as natural setting.

“We have to find solutions,” she says. “For instance, we have covered a fridge with bamboo, have placed baskets over water heaters and came up with stone taps.”

All of the furniture, most of it bamboo, is custom designed and often one-of-a-kind.

The signature round “moon” door is a striking example of incorporating an element of fantasy into a design. In fact, walking through it almost feels like you’re entering another dimension.

Another unique piece of furniture is a bed with a headboard fitted and curved bamboo columns that duct air-conditioning right onto the bed’s center.

“This is a new design. We are still testing it out but it should work once the bed is fitted with a mosquito net,” says Hardy, adding that she is planning to expand this part of the project into a furniture line.

Being a flexible material, bamboo is easy to combine with other materials. Stone, copper and brass have also been used in the construction, either for functional reasons or to complete a certain look.

“There is concrete in the foundations and the roof is made from bamboo shingles with aluminium lining,” Hardy says.

“We have used hand-hammered brass for shower bases and baths, as bamboo should not get wet when its inside, created walls out of banana fiber paper and installed stone counter tops made from slices from a huge boulder.”

While its not all about bamboo, the material clearly takes center stage at this innovative residential development. And with plenty of land still available, Hardy is hoping to continue expanding.

“As long as there are people interested in taking on this lifestyle, we will keep building.”


Sent from Marvin.

The Resting Place of Indonesian Great Diponegoro

I would have enjoyed visiting this historic site now that I know something about the man buried there. He certainly sounds like an inspiration to those that knew him.


Semarang in Central Java has rightfully earned the unofficial title of the city of Diponegoro, one of the Indonesia's greatest national heroes. The state university in Semarang is named Universitas Diponegoro, and the Military Command (Kodam) IV there is known as Kodam Diponegoro.

But few people realize that of Diponegoro's 70 years, 24 were spent inside a jail in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The walls of one room at the Rotterdam Fort complex, which served as his jail, bore silent witness to Diponegoro's imprisonment, where he was held by Dutch colonial rulers.

Makassar has become the eternal resting place for this son of Indonesia.

Born in 1785 under the name Raden Mas Antawirya, Diponegoro was the eldest son of Hamengkubuwono III, the sultan of Yogyakarta, and his concubine.

But despite his noble blood, he preferred to live a more ordinary life, focused on honoring Javanese culture.

Supported by his people, the devout Muslim openly declared war on the Dutch colonialists in 1825, when they built a street through Tegalrejo, Magelang, crossing the graveyard of Diponegoro's forefathers.

This also provoked him to fight against the high taxes the Dutch imposed on the Javanese. The Diponegoro War, as it was later known, became one of the biggest wars on Java.

Dutch commander General Hendrik Merkus de Kock mobilized most of his troops in Indonesia to support troops in Java.

Diponegoro, the "rebellious" war strategist, eventually became the most wanted person by the Dutch regime, and a large sum was offered to anyone who could arrest the man who had caused the deaths of many Dutch troops.

In 1830, Diponegoro and his followers came to Magelang, Central Java, at the invitation of the Dutch, who said they wanted to negotiate. De Kock welcomed him, but later on Diponegoro was declared a prisoner, along with many of his followers.

The capture of Diponegoro was depicted by Raden Saleh in the painting "Penangkapan Diponegoro," which became the artist's most famous work. The Dutch declared his surrender, but Diponegoro considered it a betrayal.

After a stay in Semarang, Diponegoro was taken to Jakarta and detained in the basement of the building now known as the Museum Fatahillah.

Diponegoro's life in the jail began on May 3, 1830, when he was taken to Manado in North Sulawesi by ship.

His wife Ratnaningsih, some family members and followers also accompanied the prisoner.

During his exile, Diponegoro wrote his autobiography "Babad Diponegoro."

He only spent four years in Amsterdam Fort in Manado, because the Dutch considered the jail not strong enough to contain him.

He, his wife and followers were moved to Rotterdam Fort in Makassar. For 21 years, Diponegoro remained in solitude in a room of the complex fort until he died in 1855.

"Before he died, Diponegoro mandated that his body be buried in Kampung Melayu," said Muhammad Saleh Diponegoro, the fourth generation descendant of Diponegoro, who guards Diponegoro's grave in Makassar. The cemetery complex is located on a busy street of Pasar Sentral.

"Pasar Sentral used to be a neighborhood for Chinese and Dutch people," said the 69-year-old descendant. The Dutch later donated 1.5 hectares of land in Kampung Melayu for the graveyard of Diponegoro and his family, which has since shrunk to 550 square meters."

The graves of Diponegoro and his wife are situated side by side. A small musholla (prayer room) is located in the corner, while a room with a terrace is situated opposite, where Muhammad stays during the day.

"Our family is obliged to take care of the graveyard of our great-great-grandfather," he said.

Despite its central location, only people with special interest visit this graveyard. In 1969, the graveyard complex was renovated. In 1973, the regional government of Semarang converted the grave of Diponegoro and his wife from wood to stone. There are also many tombs with unnamed gravestones.

"There are around 90 graves of children, grandchildren and followers of Diponegoro," Muhammad said. A donation box is provided for visitors who wish to help with the upkeep of the burial places.

Diponegoro's life has attracted many historians, including British man Peter Carey, who has extensively studied the prince's life.

After 40 years of research, in 2007, Carey published "Power of Prophecy: Prince Dipanagara and the End of Old Order in Java, 1785-1855," which is the most outstanding and complete biography of the man. But the legend lives on.

The Jakarta Globe. February 12, 2013

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Resources related to the 2013 Jakarta Flood – Google Crisis Response

We saw first hand a year ago the high potential for flooding in Jakarta and other parts of Java and Bali in Indonesia. Unfortunately, this year has been much worse and Google is now tracking the situation to try to help those who face the massive flooding or have family and friends who do. The city of Jakarta also faces some big barriers to solve the problem of flooding which gets worse as the city develops further. 

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Resources related to the 2013 Jakarta Flood

Major flooding in Jakarta

On Thursday, 17 January 2013, torrential rain has caused massive flooding in the Jakarta Capital Region, Indonesia, virtually shutting down the city. We will continue to update this page with maps, links, and other useful resources.

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Dale Steele

dalet.steele@gmail.com

http://daletracks.blogspot.com/

"Preste la atención a los cielos abiertos usted nunca sabe lo que bajará"

We didn't stay here on our visit...

Somehow this just doesn't seem to fit our trip or my style either. This is about as close as I get to Facebook too as I found it via Flipbook on my iPad.

Shared by Freshome on Facebook
http://freshome.com/2012/12/11/indonesian-retreat-offering-a-sense-of-discovery-and-surprise-villa-sapi/

Sent via Flipboard

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Javan rhino clings to survival in last forest stronghold

Javan rhino clings to survival in last forest stronghold - http://gu.com/p/3a2nm/em 

From the Guardian  

It’s Either Orangutans or Cheap Palm Oil: Analysts

This disturbing article is neither surprising or likely to change anytime soon. Read on and avoid supporting this huge agri-business undertaking which is destroying much of Indonesia's remaining biodiversity. It's important to also realize that this is the same pattern that has been seen elsewhere globally. It is critical that the public calls for sustainable solutions and not allow habitat destruction to continue for the sake of profit. 



When four men were sentenced to eight months in jail in March for the “murder” of orangutans, it was the first time that people associated with Indonesia’s booming palm oil industry were convicted for killing man’s close relations in the primate family. Conservationists were not happy with the “light” sentences handed down by the court in Kutai Kertanegara district, East Kalimantan, on March 18, to Imam Muktarom, Mujianto, Widiantoro and Malaysian national Phuah Cuan Pun. “As expected, the sentences were light, much lighter than what the prosecutors demanded. Such punishments will not bring any change to the situation of orangutans,” Fian Khairunnissa, an activist of the Centre for Orangutan Protection, told IPS. Indonesia’s courts have generally looked the other way as the palm oil industry relentlessly decimated orangutans by destroying vast swathes of Southeast Asia’s rainforests to convert them into oil palm plantations. In April, a court in Banda Aceh dismissed a case filed by the Indonesia Environmental Forum (Walhi) against Kallista Alam, one of five palm oil firms operating in Tripa, and Irwandi Yusuf, the former governor of Aceh, for the conversion of 1,600 hectares of carbon-rich peat forests into palm oil plantations. The court admonished Walhi, saying it should have sought an out-of-court settlement with Kallista Alam —  which never paused clearing its  1,600-hectare concession, granted in August 2011.  



Mysteriously, just before the Walhi case was to be heard in court, numerous fires broke out in the Tripa peat swamps, including in the concession granted to Kallista Alam. Community leaders in Tripa point out that the concessions fly in the face of a presidential  moratorium on new permits to clear primary forests, effective in Indonesia since last year as part of a billion dollar deal with Norway to cut greenhouse gas emissions.  “The issuance of a license to Kallista is a crime, because it changes the Leuser ecosystem and peat land forests into business concessions,” said Kamarudin, a Tripa community spokesman The Leuser Ecosystem, in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, covers more than 2.6 million hectares of prime tropical rain forest and is the last place on earth where Sumatran sub-species of elephants, rhinoceros, tigers and orangutans coexist. The survival of orangutans, a “keystone species,” is critical for the well-being of other animals and plants with which they coexist in a habitat. A statement released in June by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme estimated that there are now only 200 of the red-haired great apes left in Tripa compared to  about 2,000 in 1990 and said their situation was now ‘desperate’ as result of the fires and clearing operations carried out by palm oil companies. During the last five years, the oil palm business has emerged as a major force in the Indonesian economy, with an investment value of close five billion dollars on eight million hectares. Indonesia plans to increase crude palm oil production from the current 23.2 million tons this year to 28.4 million tons by 2014. This calls for an 18.7 percent increase in plantation area, according to Indonesia’s agriculture ministry. But the price of the planned expansion would be further shrinkage of orangutan habitat by 1.6 million hectares because oil companies find it cheaper to burn forests and chase away or kill the orangutans. “If you find orangutans in palm oil plantations, they are not coming there from somewhere else… they are in their own homes that have been changed into plantations,” said Linda Yuliani, a researcher at the Center for International Forestry Research. “But plantation company people see the orangutans as the encroachers,” she said. “Confused orangutans can often be seen wandering in plantations, and with their habitat gone, they forage on young palm trees,” she said. 



A joint survey by 19 organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, WWF and the Association of Primate Experts, found that some 750 orangutans died during 2008-2009, mostly because of conflict with human beings. It has not mattered that Indonesia is one of the signatories to the Convention on Illegal Trade and Endangered Species, which classifies orangutans under Appendix I, which lists species identified as currently endangered, or in danger of extinction. “Clearing peat land also releases huge volumes of carbon dioxide, similar to amounts released during  volcanic eruptions,” Willie Smits, a Dutch conservationist who works on orangutan protection, told IPS. Reckless clearing of peat swamp forests has already turned Indonesia into the world’s largest emitter  of carbon dioxide, after the United States and China. “The government may earn some money from oil palm investment, but there are far bigger losses from environmental destruction,” said Elfian Effendi, director of Greenomics Indonesia. “There is a multiplied effect on the local economy and loss of biodiversity.” But, even to some conservationists, stopping the oil palm business in Indonesia — which feeds a vast range of industries from fast food and cosmetics to biodiesel — is impractical. “What is needed is enforcement of schemes that allow the palm oil business and orangutans to co-exist,” Resit Rozer, a Dutch conservationist who runs a sanctuary for rescued orangutans, told IPS. Palm oil companies that are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a convention to encourage importers to buy only RSPO-certified CPO, see no advantage in the scheme that requires them to set aside a forest block for orangutans within plantations and provide safe corridors for the apes to move from one spot to another. “US. and several European countries still buy non-certified CPO as the RSPO certificate does not guarantee purchase,” Rozer told IPS. “The West told us to practice environmentally-sound business, but they do not buy RSPO-certified CPO because implementation has been delayed till 2015,” Rozer said.  “For companies that have invested in RSPO certification, the delay has been a heavy blow. They feel cheated,” said Rozer who helps palm oil companies in creating orangutan refuges and corridors. Inter Press Service 



Jakarta Globe (via calibre & kindle)

- Clip This Article on Page 5 | Location 22 | Added on Sunday, August 12, 2012 10:49:02 AM

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Legends of The Hobbit In Flores

Book Review



Legends of the Ebu Gogo, by Bill Prins. Published by Barnhardt & Ashe Publishing. 210 pages 



Most people who hear the word “hobbit” will instantly think of the small, loving creatures in the stories of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Lesser known, however, is the fact that Indonesia has its very own hobbits. In his new book “Legends of the Ebu Gogo,” Bill Prins explores a legend from the island of Flores. “Ebu gogo” means “the grandmother who eats anything” and is the Flores natives’ description of the “little people” who once lived in a remote jungle in their island. Prins explores a potential fiction around the true-life discovery of 1200-year-old skeletons by scientists in 2003, which eventually led to the scientific recognition of those “little people.” Prins puts this reference in the prelude of the book. The story itself takes places in the years 1643 and 1644, which Prins describes as a time where the little people lived in a challenging world filled with giants, dragons and aliens. One of the characters is an American with a background in chemical engineering who has worked in the field of rocket propulsion. In general, however, early on at least, relating to the characters doesn’t come easy. Prins does not elaborate on their backgrounds and throws in new characters without much explanation. 



There is American marine biologist Darcy Louric, who has been in Flores for 10 years. Then there is Sofie Tanah, a Flores native who is married to a sailor from Chicago, as well as their daughter, Esmeralda. Sofie wants to share a legend about little people with Louric in a way it has never been told before. Louric’s lengthy stay in Flores is the reason Sofie picked her, despite the fact that Louric initially shows little interest in the legend. Sofie, however, believes the little people still exist. And, of course, there are the little people, or as they are referred to in the book, the Human Beings. The Human Beings are a primitive tribe who live in Liang Bua cave. They were later hunted to extinction because they were thought to be mischievous thieves responsible for stealing food, kidnapping children and eating human babies. Prins breathes life into these mysterious little people. Readers follow the adventures of Brio, a young male of the Human Beings, and his friends, sisters Elan and Glee, who face a world of mystical beings, including giants and dragons. Prins presents a world in which a tribe tries to survive against different creatures who seem to be closing in on it. It is easy to tell that Prins is fascinated by the legend and suspects modern man may have been the cause of the extinction of the little people. The book is peculiarly Indonesian, making it an engaging read for Indonesian children discovering how a local tale can be told from a distinctly foreign perspective. 



The Jakarta Globe Legends of The Hobbit In Flores Lisa Siregar | August 11, 2012 

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Fwd: Fine Dining Finally!

Fine Dining Finally!

Our recent trip to Oakland finally gave us a chance to try Borobubur (www.borobudursf.com), a great Indonesian Resturant in San Francisco. It's been there for 20 years and we could see why as this popular place did not disappoint. We can't wait to go back again! Of course it brought back many great memories of the time we spent in the real place not too long ago. Sigh...

Soto Ayam all gone. I also had Atam Goreng Kalasan

Nasi Uduk Lengkap for Laurie.
She also took an order of Nasi Goreng to go so we would have a fine breakfast too.

Sent from Dale's iPhone4!

Indonesian President Calls for a Green Economy!

This is a very positive and bold statement that I hope can be backed up by action. Inspiring is good but it takes more than speeches and most of the reports that I see these days indicate there is a very long way to go that that a strong program of incentives and enforcement will be necessary to move things along. Let's watch for the comments generated from this by those who are working on these issues in Indonesia now. TNC is certainly one of those groups but those smaller grassroots groups that are closest to the action and issues should count more. Also the Rio +20 conference should be a chance to look back at previous bold speeches and goals to see how they were kept and see what other new ones are made now.

More to come...

Begin forwarded message:

Subject: Indonesian President Calls for a Green Economy

Date: June 14, 2012 6:58:52 AM PDT

Mark Tercek is the president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. 

Yesterday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made an inspiring speech at the Center for International Forestry Research, calling for a new paradigm in the way that countries and societies approach economic development.

"We need a new way of looking at the world, and a new way of working with the world," he declared. He calls this "sustainable growth with equity," or growth that balances economic, social and environmental aspects.

President Yudhoyono said that Indonesia's economy has changed from one in which forests were sacrificed in return for economic growth, to an environmentally sustainable one where forests are prized for the wide range of ecological services that they provide to society. He declared that by 2025 "no exploitation of resources should exceed its biological regenerative capacity."

It was a bold speech, and an encouraging sign that world leaders increasingly recognize that investing in nature is fundamentally necessary for a healthy, equitable and prosperous world.

Indonesia wasn't always a leader in sustainability. President Yudhoyono admitted that in the 1970s and 80s his country encouraged growth and development without regard to environmental consequences.

"We had lots of forests; we had to reduce poverty; we needed to grow our economy," he said. As a result, logging, mining and the oil palm industry have decimated the country's rich tropical forests. The destruction of those forests produces 80 percent of Indonesia's carbon emissions, placing it among the world's top emitters of greenhouse gasses, behind only the United States and China.

But today, the country is beginning to reverse course. Under President Yudhoyono's leadership, Indonesia has committed to reducing emissions by 26 percent by 2020, and up to 41 percent with international support. The government has also placed a moratorium on new permits to clear primary forests and peat lands throughout the country.

In the past decade, the country's deforestation rate has decreased from 3.5 million hectares per year to less than half a million hectares per year.

What is especially significant is that Indonesia's leadership understands that economic growth can — and must — go hand-in-hand with conserving nature. As population growth, urbanization, and a rising middle class put unprecedented pressures on the natural resources that sustain our lives and livelihoods, nature is an essential tool to make global growth sustainable.

In Indonesia's district of Berau, for example, The Nature Conservancy is working with the government to reduce carbon pollutionby at least 10 million tons over five years — which is like removing roughly 400,000 cars from the road each year — through a number of coordinated strategies: directing agricultural production to already degraded lands, supporting low-impact logging techniques, and assisting the government in measuring and monitoring carbon savings. The target area also includes vital watersheds and critical habitat for orangutans. It's a "triple-win" strategy that is demonstrating how reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (or REDD+, in the policymakers' community) can simultaneously reduce carbon pollution, protect biodiversity, and promote forest-friendly development.

When President Yudhoyono took office in 2004, his development mantra was, "pro-growth, pro-poor, pro-jobs." Now he's added "pro-environment" as a pillar of his country's development agenda. "Environmental sustainability is at the heart of all [of Indonesia's] long-term development plans," he said.

As our world's leaders prepare to meet at next week's Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, I hope we see a lot more of this kind of bold vision. President Yudhoyono's speech this week sends an important message about the importance ofensuring the health of the lands and waters on which natural diversity, human health and prosperity depend. President Yudhoyono will co-host a major event next week in Rio on June 21st convening other world leaders where I anticipate he will make further bold commitments to the wise stewardship of Indonesia's vast marine resources.

[Image: Sungai Wain Forest Reserve in East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, Indonesia. Image source: Ahmad Fuadi/TNC]

Read more…

Dale Steele

dalet.steele@gmail.com

http://daletracks.blogspot.com/

"Preste la atención a los cielos abiertos usted nunca sabe lo que bajará"

Durian found in Sacramento!

Wow, some big news here as Laurie went out to a local asian market with a friend and came back with some tasty surprises. I know this won't be anything like the fresh produce we had every day while traveling around Indonesia but it is a start. They made an exploring trip for supplies after a tasty lunch at our favorite local Indo Cafe which gives us some flavor from home away from home. This will keep us going for the time being and allow us to introduce others to a little of the amazing foods we experienced in Indonesia.

A possible bike ride from Indonesia to Mecca? "Saya searing pemula"

Not me, at least there are no plans here for such a trip.  I just came across this interesting Crazy Guy on a Bike forum discussion of someone in Blitar, Indonesia wanting to ride to the city of Mecca, UAE and wondering how to find more information for such a trip. As I've always found on the CGOAB site, there are many experienced travelers willing to share their knowledge and experience. This discussion is off to a good start, I plan to keep my eye on it to see where things go next.

Meanwhile, we did miss a chance for a bicycling adventure in Sulawesi while we were there and recently had a contact from the same person about another trip, this time in central Sulawesi. Too early to tell but this might just happen...

Hi Laurie,

Did you get to Indonesia in January?
FYI the North Sulawesi trip went well, I think I can say that.
Upcoming trip is to Central Sulawesi .
13 - 28 May 2012.
907 km  / 11 cycle days.
Best available accommodation. Fully supported. Swimming 15/16 days. Daily
yoga. Indonesian language instruction.
Details http://www.cycleindonesia.com.au/central_sulawesi.htm.
Would appreciate it if you could pass it on to BF people that you have
contact with.  Thanks.

Colin

Palm Oil and Deforestation

This is a heavy subject that has been much on my mind for some time and long before our trip. Our journeys did not take us through many of the large plantations that have destroyed the vast forests that Indonesia once had. Those forests have been gone for some time in most of the areas we visited. At the same time, this is not an historical event as the destruction continues at a rapid pace elsewhere in Indonesia. There are nearly 100 intentional fires burning now as a way to quickly remove forests and clear the way for these plantations which fuel much of the foods, soap, cosmetics, chemicals, bio-diesel and other industries used by all of us.  The toll that this is taking on native wildlife, especially orang-utans, and over-all biodiversity is both shocking and un-necessary. Still, at the rate things are going this will be yet another disaster that we look back and wonder where we were when this happened. For now, I'm going to become more engaged on this issue now and plan to spend time visiting the "front line" on my next trip.  Here's some background and suggested materials. I'll add more later.

Watch "Green The Film" and educate yourself on the way your activities contribute to this problem.  “Green” is a film about the rainforest of Indonesia and follows a female orang-utan there. It is 48 min long, it is available for free download and copyright free for all non commercial screenings. The film has no narration, it is thus accessible to all nationalities. It was produced independently and free of all commercial or political attachment. Don’t hesitate to screen the film wherever you feel appropriate too.

<4/4/12> In an unfortunate follow-up to this situation, an Indonesian court has thrown out a case rather than put itself in the "awkward" position of hearing how intentional actions could shortly lead to the extinction of the orang-utan in Sumatra. An appeal to a higher court is expected.

Some Facts about Deforestation

Indonesia has one of the world’s worst deforestation rates, averaging at around 2 million hectares a year. In 1950 the forest cover of Indonesia was about 160 million hectares, today less than 48 million hectares are left.

Massive deforestation of Indonesia began in the 1970s with the expansion of the timber industry. Then came the pulp and paper industry followed by the palm oil industry. Today, the major driving force behind Indonesian deforestation comes from the international demand for palm oil to make biofuels. An October 2009 report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) found that: “95 per cent of the increased production of palm oil in Malaysia and Indonesia was driven by the growing demand for biodiesel”, and that “two-thirds of the current expansion of palm oil cultivation in Indonesia is based on the conversion of rainforests”.

This demand comes essentially from India, Europe and China who are all promoting palm oil biodiesel as tomorrow’s best renewable “green”energy to combat climate change. But reports show that converting forests into oil palm plantations for biofuel actually worsens climate change. Palm oil bio-diesel is not really about combating climate change, it is just about making money. 

Indonesia is the largest palm oil producer in the world and plans to expand its palm oil plantations from the present 7 million hectares to 20 million hectares in the years to come.

Photos from Jakarta

Forgot to attach them.

Waiting for Sate

A very large grasshopper