Save an Indonesian Island

EARTHKEEPING NEWS
A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY

Volume Six, Number Five
July/August 1997

Call to Action:

Write a Letter to Save an Indonesian Island

Yamdena is one of over 13,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago. Two thirds of its area is covered with centuries old tropical rain forest, rich in rare and unique species. Its 80,000 human inhabitants make a living from the forest and by fishing. Under traditional law, the land is owned by all the island families. In 1971 the Indonesian government recognized the island's environmental importance and designated Yamdena a nature conservation area.

In 1991, under President Suharto, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry gave a license to a lumber company to log in most of Yamdena's forests. The islanders knew nothing of it until the loggers began cutting down trees, threatening the nature preserve, the coral reefs, the islanders' livelihoods and the entire fragile ecosystem. The islanders protested, supported by groups throughout Indonesia, but the government ignored their protests.

While local islanders were protesting against the loggers, and being met with violence, other groups were spreading the word of the Yamdena logging all over the world. Pressure on the Indonesian government grew, and the Ministry of Forestry finally issued a ban on logging in Yamdena in 1993.

However, two years later, in 1995 the new Minister of Forestry issued another logging concession - this time to a company owned by the government, which is now shrinking the forests faster than ever. Protest against this company is seen as being anti-government, a very serious charge in Indonesia. The islanders took the government to the provincial courts, but lost their case and legal appeal was rejected. If they lose at the national level, they will take their case to the International Court of Justice.

Increased international pressure is now the best hope for the islanders and their beleaguered rain forests. In March 1997 the European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the Indonesian government to stop the logging. Direct appeal by concerned citizens in countries around the world, on Yamdena's behalf, is perhaps the best way now to let the Indonesian government know that the eyes of the world are upon it.

Acting in solidarity with the islanders, we can urge the Minister of Forestry to cancel logging concessions on Yamdena island; to recognize the traditional land rights of the island people; and to ensure for the local people equitable benefits and a voice in the decisions regarding their natural resources. (Postage: 60 cents for 1/2 oz. and $1.00 for 1 oz.) Write to: