July –August 2006
Another Flying Squad Team is soon to be established in Tesso Nilo
On August 14, 2006 PT. Inti Indosawit Subur (PT. IIS), a palm oil plantation company operating around Tesso Nilo National Park and WWF Indonesia signed an MoU on BMP HECM ( Better Management Practice on Human Elephant Conflict Mitigation) in Pekanbaru. This MoU was signed by Mubariq Ahmad, Executive Director of WWF Indonesia and Gelora Sinuraya, Regional Head Plantation II- PT. Inti Indosawit Subur on behalf of the Director.
The MOU adopted the Elephant Flying Squad approach implemented by WWF-Indonesia and nature conservation authority of Riau known as BKSDA since April 2004 to reduce human and elephant conflict around Tesso Nilo. This approach has been able to reduce human elephant conflict in the area where the squad operated, Lubuk Kembang Bunga village. Seeing this result, PT. Inti Indosawit Subur plantation which has suffered big loss due to human elephant conflict feel interested to adopt this approach. The Flying Squad team
The signing of MoU between WWF that will be established by this company is Indonesia and PT. Inti Indosawit Subur planned to be operated in Pontian Mekar palm oil plantation village, a village which is also directly adjacent (Photo: WWF Ind-Tesso Nilo prog/ Samsuardi) with Tesso Nilo National Park.
According to the MoU, WWF and PT. Inti Indosawit Subur will collaboratively manage human elephant conflict around the area in which WWF prepares guidelines for better management practices and technical support for the operation of the new flying squad team while the plantation will cover all the financial support for the implementation of this MoU. Besides that the company is agreed to enhance the quality of elephant conflict mitigation techniques along the border of the park bufferzone and the plantation. The company also agrees to integrate community development developed by the company with the one developed by the Tesso Nilo National Park Foundation.
In his speech, the plantation director stated that they realize that the role of elephant Flying Squad with mobile ability is important for the company since they have suffered a big loss. He added that they signed the MoU with a commitment to protect elephants and the habitat around Tesso Nilo National Park. Page 1 of 7
July –August 2006
Community from Kalimantan Learned About Flying Squad
As human elephant conflict is becoming higher in East Kalimantan, three representatives of Nunukan community accompanied by the executant from WWF Kayan Mentarang program came to Riau to have discussion on mitigating human elephant conflict on August 6-8, 2006. On the discussion WWF Riau team presented techniques that WWF has practiced in mitigating elephant conflict such as the operation of the Flying Squad, organizing community to guard their plantation from elephant raid, and etc.
The visit then was continued to WWF Flying Squad team in Lubuk Kembang Bunga village, Tesso Nilo National Park to have first hand experience on how the flying squad works. They also learned how to make pvc pipe hand made cannon used by the flying squad to help them in their routine work and strategies to drive away wild elephant that enter plantation or settlement.
From this visit, the community expected that WWF can directly involve in helping the community manage elephant conflict in East Kalimantan. As the first step it was agreed that WWF –Riau would come to East Kalimantan to give training on human elephant conflict mitigation strategies. On September 1 to 7 WWF Riau – elephant module team accompanied by a consultant from Way Kambas elephant training center visit East Kalimantan to share their experience to the community of Nunukan, East Kalimantan.
Communication Forum for Corporate Community Development is established
About 70% of Tesso Nilo forests are directly bordered with companies’ concession. At least 13 companies are operating around Tesso Nilo comprising of industrial timber plantation, logging concession and palm oil plantation. These companies have conducted their community development programs but still not integrated and probably in such a way are not reaching the target. For that reason, a strategic community development program or CD program and environment management is needed as a joint effort that can integrate the potency among the components in planning, executing, monitoring and evaluating the CD program.
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July –August 2006
Judging these condition, WWF Indonesia- Tesso Nilo program together with Cecom (a foundation for developing CD established by PT. RAPP) has taken the initiative to synergize the community development program. These institutions have conducted two consecutive workshops in order to explore the commitment of the companies to help the community around Tesso Nilo and the Tesso Nilo forest through the CD program. The first workshop conducted on May 29-31, 2006 in Pangkalan Kerinci was only attended by three companies’ representatives. To socialize the The socialization session of the result of the first workshop WWF, Cecom and community development program to Tesso Nilo National Park Foundation some companies and government conducted a socialization session to more institutions companies and government institutions on (Photo: WWF Ind-Tesso Nilo prog/ Samsul Komar) July 27, 2006. Through this socialization, it is expected that more companies would have the same perception on the need to have integrated CD program in such a way so that it can help the economy of the community living around Tesso Nilo forest as well as help saved the ecosystem of the forests.
The second workshop was conducted in Pekanbaru on August 23-24 and attended by more companies’ representatives. Strategic planning, a consortium in a form of communication forum, and criteria for the persons that will sit as the committee in the newly established forum are among the results of the workshop. The strategic program is expected to contribute for the solution of common problem faced by the companies in developing their CD program.
Development of Woman Group’s Roles for the Conservation in Tesso Nilo
Women in the villages around Tesso Nilo have very limited options for their activities to support the family finance due to lack of skills and capacity. Most of them help the men to rubber taping either their own rubber farming or other people’s farming. WWF sees this as an opportunity to help developed the roles’ of the women in the family as well as raise their awareness on their roles in conservation.
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July –August 2006
Tesso Nilo forest has good potency for producing natural honey that WWF has helped the community to develop so far. The honey production process involves men only. And so far the wax resulted from the hives of the honey that have been harvested is not valuable for the community. They just sell the wax as it is with very cheap price while actually when it is modified it can generate more incomes. Seeing this opportunity, WWF seek for collaboration with a wax industry from East Java to give training for the women in Logas Tanah Darat sub district, a sub district around Tesso Nilo forest which have very big natural Training for making bees wax product for honey potency. the women around Tesso Nilo (Photo: WWF Ind-Tesso Nilo prog/Syafrizal) The training that was conducted on July 31- August 3, 2006 aimed at giving skills and knowledge for the women in processing and making various decorated wax using bees wax so that the skills can help generate the family’s income. The long term of this program is that the woman group is able to produce qualified wax product and to develop the product as well as to form bees wax product business center in Logas Tanah Darat sub district. Some twenty women coming from six villages in the district took part in this training.
The development of the woman groups and bees wax product business will be focused in three sites, they are in the villages of Rambahan, Logas and Situgal. These production centers gained organization support from the government women’s skill development team from the district level. The coordinators from these three production sites will have supervision on the organization from the sub district. WWF and Tesso Nilo Community Forum will support the production, promotion and also the organization.
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July –August 2006
Sustainable Palm Oil Production Principle and Criteria for Small Holder Plantation
Small scale palm oil plantation has an ample width in the province of Riau in which it covers about 56% of the total existing palm oil plantations. For big scale plantation, better management practice is part of the company requirement among others is the implementation of High Conservation Value Forest Principle.
For small holder plantations which mostly owned by farmers, better management practices should also be implemented in the hope that environment degradation due to palm oil plantation development can be minimized. For that reason, better management practice criteria for small holder plantations need to be immediately set up at national scale. In arranging the criteria for better management practices, inputs from stakeholders should be gathered so that the principle and criteria can later be implemented by farmers on the ground. WWF in collaboration with Indonesia Palm Oil Commission (IPOC) and Plantation Service of Riau conducted a workshop for sustainable palm oil production principle and criteria in Pekanbaru on August 16, 2006.
Palm oil farmers from several districts in Riau, and local NGOs took part in this workshop. Staffs from IPOC and plantation service gave guidance about the sustainable principle and criteria. The workshop then was continued with group Interview with palm oil discussion to discuss the draft of the principle and criteria set farmers for the input in the up by the IPOC. preparation of the workshop From the group discussion, eight principles and criteria that (Photo: WWF Ind-Tesso Nilo prog/ Dani) have been set up by the IPOC can be accepted by the stakeholder with some additional recommendation which are fitted with the existing condition in Riau. The result of this workshop will become input for the principle and criteria that will be set up in Jakarta for national scale.
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July –August 2006
Forest Fire in Tesso Nilo
Again Tesso Nilo forest is on fire, this situation could be clearly observed through aerial survey conducted by APRIL and WWF team on August 15, 2006. From the air, the smoke billowing up could be seen in the area inside Tesso Nilo National Park (TNNP) and the proposed extension area along the corridor Ukui sector of PT. RAPP.
Through hotspots monitoring using Modis satellite, WWF recorded 206 hotspots within the period of 1-28 August around Tesso Nilo forest area. From these hotspots, through GIS analysis (Geography Information System) it can be Forest fire inside the proposed estimated that about 3,351 ha of land around Tesso extension of Tesso Nilo National Park Nilo forest were burnt and about 900 ha of forests (Photo: WWF Ind-Tesso Nilo prog/ Syamsidar) inside TNNP were burnt.
Slash and burnt method for land clearing in Tesso Nilo has been escalated since 2004. The inactive field operation of the concession holders in Tesso Nilo forest and lack of monitoring from related government institution have triggered groups of community to encroach the forest. They then occupy the forest areas for their plantation and settlement.
WWF has supplied data and information about the forest fire to government institutions and has made some advocacy to handle this problem. Nature conservation The forest inside the proposed extension authority of Riau and provincial government that has been opened as the result of the have deployed their personnel to Tesso Nilo forest fire. forest since August 16, 2006. (Photo: WWF Ind-Tesso Nilo prog/ Syamsidar)
The haze issue in Riau is not only a local issue but has become a national issue. The president of Indonesia instructed local government to be able to manage the haze problem at the latest Page 6 of 7
July –August 2006
September 2. As the result, the government made artificial rain to clear away the haze in the province. In the other hand, the local government then intensified monitoring the forest fire and as the result some forest and land fire setters have been detained by the police for further process. We hope that the spirit to eradicate haze problem in Riau will reach the success so that it will not become routine occurrences.
Coordination Meeting to Formulize Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Protocol
Due to escalating human wildlife conflict especially Sumatran elephant and Sumatran tiger in Sumatra, Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation conducted a coordination meeting for mitigation of human - wildlife conflict. The coordination meeting conducted on August 24, 2006 involved government institutions from central level and regional level and NGOs concerning wildlife conservation in Sumatra. The aim of this meeting is to gather data and information on human-wildlife conflict formulize wildlife mitigation protocol and alternative solutions to handle the conflict.
This meeting was preceded by a workshop of Habitat Protection and Elephant Conflict Management in Sumatra a day before. At this workshop, WWF had a session to deliver presentation on the condition and problems of wildlife and the habitat in Riau.
The workshop resulted some recommendations for the protection of elephants existed inside conservation area and outside conservation area. Establishment of collaborative management in each conservation management unit, optimalization of conservation area management as elephant habitat, extension of Tesso Nilo National Park , research for analysis of viable population and elephant habitat are among the recommendation for the management in conservation area.
In the coordination meeting, draft of protocol for human-elephant conflict handling has been resulted. The protocol comprises of the scope of the protocol, procedures and process for handling human–elephant conflict, and conflict mitigation. The protocol recommended that a team for handling human-elephant/wildlife conflict will be formed by Governor which includes elements of forestry service, nature conservation authority, NGO, and professionals such as mahout, veterinarian, and forest rangers. Facilities and equipments needed for handling human elephant conflict are also included in this protocol.
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