Rangers of the Leuser Conservation Forum find a tiger trap in Leuser forest, Subulussalam, Aceh, on Tuesday (9/5/2017). Every month, the rangers patrol the forest for 15 days to prevent animal hunting and illegal logging.
The damage to the Leuser Ecosystem Zone (KEL) in Aceh province threatens the lives of local people and animals. The local animal protection team members, known as rangers, who work under the Leuser Conservation Forum are on the front lines of protecting the forest area’s sustainability – even if their lives are often at stake.
Dahlawi, 46, Hendra Saputra, 35, and Tarmizi, 24, rangers of the Leuser Conservation Forum (FKL), all put their lives at stake. Every month, they patrol the Leuser forest for 15 days, like they did on Tuesday (9/5/2017).
At about 7:30 a.m., before departing for the forest, they held a small meeting to discuss their route and targets for the day. “We have information about hunters entering the forest. We need to drive them away so that they do not hunt the animals in the area,” Dahlawi said while opening a map. He then marked the coordinates that the team needed to go through.
The day’s journey began at Soraya Research Station in Subulussalam city and ended in Trumon in South Aceh regency. They are part of the Bengkung 1 team with a total operational area of 61,000 hectares. Parts of the operation area is within the Mt. Leuser National Park (TNGL).
The weather was quite sunny that morning. Morning sunlight penetrated the lush leaves. The trickling sound of the waterfall and the singing of the gibbons were mellifluous. Dahlawi and his two colleagues walked through the forest. Each of them carried a rucksack filled with rice, dishes, clothes, drinking water, medicine and a plastic tent.
They also brought maps, compasses, GPS equipment, cameras and a machete. Cell phone signals could not reach into the forest. For communications, they need to use a satellite phone.
The journey was arduous. They needed to reach the pre-determined spots. In order to reach them, they sometimes need to hike cliffs and go through rivers. The uphill path was rocky, slippery and sometimes muddy. Even with rucksacks weighing more than 50 kilograms, they looked vigorous.
After one hour of walking, Dahlawi shouted to his friends to halt. “There is a tiger trap ahead,” Dahlawi said. His two colleagues approached the trap, took a picture of it and made some notes.
The trap was made with a steel cable fastened to a small branch the size of a toe. The end of the cable was tied to a wooden thrower and was put on the ground. The trap was then covered with dry leaves. Once a tiger steps on the trap, it would automatically catch its leg. “It looks like this trap was put here two days ago,” Dahlawi said.
After dismantling the trap, they continued their journey. Approaching noon, they took a break. Hendra took a boiling pot, instant noodles, coffee and bread out of his pack. Time for lunch.
The patrol was continued after lunch. On their route, the team found another tiger trap. Just one kilometer away, they found the bones of an elephant. “The elephant was male and about 7 years old. It died after it was entangled by a trap set up by hunters. Its ivories were taken and its carcass was left behind here,” Dahlawi said.
A steel cable as thick as a thumb was still tied to a two-meter-long log. One of the elephant’s legs was trapped in the cable. The team guessed that the elephant might have dragged the log through the forest with difficulty and then died after the log got stuck between tree trunks.
Life choices
Dahlawi became a ranger in 1998. Since then, he has spent his life in the Leuser forests. Dahlawi was born in Trumon, South Aceh. His house was just 500 meters away from the edge of the Leuser forest. Since he was little, he accompanied his father looking for sandalwood in the forest. He said the forest was close to his heart.
We must not leave a legacy of destruction for our descendants.
Hendra, on the other hand, is a former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) member. He said living in nature gave him inner peace. He joined the rangers in 2006, one year after peace was achieved in Aceh. When other former combatants chose to enter politics, Hendra chose to return to the forest. Only this time, it was not for guerrilla warfare. It was to protect the forest.
“Seeing the destruction of the forest, I was called to join the protection efforts. We must not leave a legacy of destruction for our descendants,” Hendra said.
Tarmizi’s life story was more dramatic. He became a ranger to continue his father’s work. In 2012, his father Thamrin, also a ranger, died during a routine patrol. Thamrin suffered from a shortness of breath. As he was in the middle of the jungle and medical assistance was delayed. He drew his last breath with his head in Dahlawi’s lap.
“I have to continue my father’s noble work. I believe what he did benefited the people,” Tarmizi said.
Leuser Conservation Forum (FKL) manager Dedi Yansyah said that the group had 23 ranger teams and a total of 250 rangers. The rangers’ duties included monitoring illegal activities in the Leuser landscape, such as animal hunting, illegal logging and land clearing.
With a limited number of personnel, the forum is often overwhelmed by its duty to oversee the 2.2 million hectares of the Leuser Ecosystem Zone. The rangers do not have the authority to take actions against those violating the law. If they find illegal activities in the forest area, they can only advise them not to destroy the forest.
Throughout 2016, the FKL found 1,534 cases of illegal logging involving an estimated 3,665 cubic meters of fallen trees. The FKL also recorded 1,508 cases of logging and 9,148 hectares of cleared forest.
In addition, the FKL recorded 300 development activities in KEL, including the construction of 561.75 kilometers of roads. As for animal hunting, the FKL found 300 traps in the KEL.
The daily patrols in the Leuser forest are highly risky. At worst, rangers can be attacked by wild animals, struck down by fallen trees, drowned in a river, ensnared by animal traps, or shot by animal hunters.
Dahlawi said that many hunters use weapons with 5.5-mm caliber bullets, which is fatal for humans. “If we meet hunters with firearms, we try to talk to them and get them outside the forest,” Dahlawi said.
Lately, the deforestation in Leuser has been getting worse. In a year, 24,000 hectares are lost to illegal logging and land conversion. “When I see the trees in Leuser, it is as if the leaves are waving at us and asking for protection,” Dahlawi said.
These rangers are the ones on the front lines of Leuser’s protection.
