Forestfund, 15 March 2021. In the past five years, illegal logging in Sumbawa District forests have been increasingly intense and brought about the destruction to ‘honey forest’. Olah Hidup organisation recorded that, from 2001 to 2005, only 38.06% of native forest remained, while in the end of 2020, 72.06% of the district’s forest areas became critical and around 81,499.18 ha (21%) were severely damaged.
Based on the investigation carried out by the organisation, other than illegal logging, increased forest encroachment also contributes to the forest destruction. One of the examples can be seen in Ampang Plampang FMU. Encroachment in the FMU kept increasing. In the end of 2020, it increased to 21,631.61 ha from what had been documented in the previous two years (19.030,67 ha). Out of the remaining forest area (19,001.76 ha), it is estimated that only about 13.200 ha are still in an undisturbed (virgin) condition.
In 2016, RKT 70 area in Ampang Riwo suffered from the same, with severely critical area of about 146.28 ha, critical area of around 436.21 ha, and slightly critical area of 901.85 ha, so that the total critical area is 1,484.34 ha. The potential critical area is approximately 16,381.86 ha in 2016 and it is estimated that the area has shrunk by around 4,227 ha in the past five years, leaving only 12,154.86 ha that remain. As such, the critical area increased to around 5,711.34 ha. Currently, it is estimated that only around 2,461.01 ha of intact (undisturbed) forest area remain.
In the end of 2017, critical area within Orong Telu Brang Beh FMU’s operational area was 54,012.44 ha, while the slightly critical, critical and severely critical areas are respectively 21,636.13 ha, 783.87 ha and 2,000 ha, totalling to 24,420 ha. If such area is subtracted with critical area in Brang Beh FMU, only around 17,627.54 ha remain. Within the next three years, which is in 2020, area of critical lands from all subtypes was estimated to have reached around 21,700 ha, about 13,049 ha out of which are potentially critical and only 12,500 ha remain intact (virgin/undisturbed).
The conditions in several locations above represent the destruction of Sumbawa forest in general. The alleged timber laundering and permit misuse in timber administration also contribute to such forest destruction in the area.