Activists against mining in conservation zone

Jongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Manado

Environmentalists in North Sulawesi warn traditional gold mining activities pose a threat to the Bogani Nani Wartabone conservation zone.

They say the conservation zone, in Bolaang Mangondow regency, North Sulawesi, is the largest repository in the province of local floral and fauna.

The zone's traditional role, they say, is under threat because of a rise in gold mining in the area, particularly after the local legislative council moved to legalize the mining activities.

Sulawesi Program Coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society, Johny Tasirin, and the director of the Lestari Manado Foundation, Sri Hardiyanti Gunadi, said the rare flora and fauna of Bogani would disappear forever unless the government put a halt to mining in the conservation zone.

Bolaang Mangondow legislative council speaker Sunardi Sumantha acknowledged the council sent a letter to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry seeking official permission to mine gold in Bogani.

"We sent the letter last year. We hope residents there will be allowed to carry out mining operations in the conservation zone because the gold mining is not concentrated in one area. The combined size of the mining operations would only be about 350 hectares," Sunardi said.

The Bogani Nani Wartabone conservation zone covers more than 287,000 hectares and is home to about 300 species of rare plants.

"The zone hosts 68 percent of all mammals that exist in Sulawesi, 47 percent of birds and 27 percent of reptiles. The maleo bird (Macrocephalon maleo), babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa), anoa (Bubalus quarlesi) and two kinds of monkey species, Macaca nigra and Macaca nigrasence, are some of the rare animals that can be found there," Tasirin said.

"We hope politicians do not use the issue of opening up gold mining in the conservation zone for short-term political purposes, such as a way to win the residents' votes in the upcoming elections in Bolaang Mongondow Utara and Mabagu Utara, because this could endanger the biodiversity there," he said.

He said the conservation zone was not the only place that would suffer the negative impacts of mining in the area.

Extensive mining would decrease the regency's water supply because its sole major river, the Dumoga, has its source inside the conservation zone, he said.

The river is the primary source of irrigation water for farmers in the regency.

"This conservation zone is the only remaining forest in North Sulawesi. All of the people in Indonesia, even the world, would be disappointed if it was damaged," Sri Hardiyanti said.

Tasirin also said the forest in the conservation zone was being threatened by people cutting down trees to supply rattan factories in Gorontalo.

Tasirin and fellow conservationists are working with villagers who live near the forest and local government representatives to protect the forest.