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| Bang Doy |
One rainy morning, a
third grader rushed towards a wooden motorboat that was about to leave upstream
along Kepuluk River. Before anyone could stop him, Doy, the skinny child had
jumped into the motorboat and sat comfortably alongside the loggers and logistic
officers who worked for the timber companies along the river.
He could not wait to go
fishing, to join his father and grandfather who had been staying overnight the
past week at a hut by the rivers edge, in the middle of a 28 thousand hectares
of peat swamp forest - to fish.
***
He sat right in front
of me in the rainy weather at a small cafe in the suburbs of Ketapang for an
interview. Although he was not a child anymore, people still call him ‘Doy’. In
his identification card his full name is Abdurahman Al Qadrie; a civil servant
who is also a teacher.
“At the time, it was
the school holidays…it was in 1983,” he said, running his hands across his
hair. It was December; the winds were strong and the seas were violent. To come
to this cafe, Doy had to ride in the heavy rain and strong winds.
We were in Ketapang, a
city located at the top of the delta between the South China Sea and the Pawan
River. Of the 14 districts in the province of West Kalimantan, this the largest
district with an area of 31, 240.74 km² .
Famous for its birds’
nest, mining and timber, this regency which is also known as Kayong land is
infamous for being the fastest regency to destroy its tropical forests over the
past 20 years. The damage was carried out by loggers, miners and huge oil palm
plantations. The 90,000 hectares of forest at the Mount Palung National Park is
located within the Ketapang Regency. It also connects the forests to Sukadana
Regency, the last refuge for more than 3000 orangutans.
According to Project Manager
for International Animal Rescue (IAR)
Foundation Indonesia, Karmele Liano sanchez, between 500 to 800 orangutans are
trapped in the peat swamp forest of Permatang Gadung. The forest, that serves
as a corridor connecting Permatang Gadung and other forests in the National
Park has been destroyed by humans.
Based on data from
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup (Walhi) West Kalimantan, this regency has been issuing
the highest number of permits to open oil palm plantations. As of July 2013,
there were 76 oil palm companies operating in Ketapang with an estimated area
of 838, 855, 99 hectares.
Data from the Mining
Department Ketapang highlighted 78 companies that were given exploration
permits with a total area of 990, 060 hectares. Mining license holders operated
56 companies covering an area of 196,592.8 hectares. Whilst, the total mining
area in Ketapang has reached 1,186,661.8 hectares.
***
Doy stared straight
through the rain while awaiting for his coffee. Pondering silently, he
recollects the past seemingly hidden behind the torrid rain. I ordered a cup of
cappuccino, and the cafe owner, Marlin swiftly makes the hot brew.
For Marlin, Doy was not
only his regular customer at the cafe but well-known among the regulars as a
storyteller.
There was no music
today, only the heavy sounds of the pouring rain. The electricity had gone out
several times since the afternoon, and in the dimly lit cafe Doy’s shadow
reminded me of George Duke, the legendary jazz keyboardist who passed away
recently. But Doy was not Duke, although both had a thin wisp of a moustache
and curly hair. Doy was not even a Jazz
fan!
Doy was lost in his
thoughts. He lighted a cigarette and inhaled deeply without flinching at the
slightest noise. He started talking again.
"My father is of
Arab descent, a heritage tracing back to the Pontianak Kadriah Sultanate. He
was a great teacher, who set up a school in Permatang Gadung. The school was
later converted to a national school by the government and my father became a
farmer later on. He spent his time fishing in the rivers and was always in the
forests here at Permatang Gadung. With us, his children, he would go hunting,
fishing and travel around frequently. He advised us to take care of the forest
that gave us ‘life’,” said Doy, half muttering.
His father also kept
three dogs as pets, although they are Muslim families. The dogs always
accompanied the family trips to the farm, river, and especially when they
hunted for deer in the forest.
Doy and the Permatang
Gadung forest were not easily separated. He worked briefly at a construction
company after finishing his education at the Government Technical Secondary
School 1 Pontianak.
Doy did not stay long
in the city and returned to his hometown in the village. The chirp of birds,
hum of insects,, cries of the orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus), Proboscis
monkey, (Nasalis larvatus), Triton (Presbytis rubycunda), Kelempiau (Hylobates
muelleri), Langur (Presbytis cristata), and long-tailed macaques (Pacicularis
macacca) that he often heard while lying in the hut with his father at the
village was more melodious than the loud sounds of dangdut music that echoed in
the dimly lit cafes in Pontianak city.
He remembered the glow
from the fireflies, lighting the edge of the forests - a sight more magical
than fireworks lighting up the night on a New Year’s eve celebration in the
city. The unseen memories whispered silently, urging him to come home.
Doy was willing to be a
part-time teacher in the village with a meagre salary of Rp 450,000 a month, as
long as he could spend time in the forest of Permatang Gadung during the
weekends. He would spend the time taking pictures, sniffing the smell of the
peat swamp while enjoying the musical cacophony of the irreplaceable sounds of
the forest - a luxury that could not be bought by Doy from a supermarket
anywhere in the world.
There were not only
abundant fish in the small streams in Permatang Gadung, but also various types
of rare and unique flora and fauna. Their numbers are also at a critical level.
A study by the Ketapang
Biodiversity Keeping and Kawan Burung Ketapang (KBK), found many species of
amphibians from frogs to lizards, and reptiles such as alligators and also
different species of insects, endangered primates to rare birds. This included one of the most
sought after flora in the world, the Black Orchid (Coelogyne pandurata).
For generations, the
villagers in the area including Doy and his family have been keeping a close
watch over the sacred forest.
***
A gust of wind blew the
shutters nearby. The electricity had come on again. Doy was drinking his cold
coffee. I called Marlin for another two cups of hot coffee. The cold was
starting to creep over us.
“Bro, have you ever
heard of the Storm Stork a bird of the family Ciconiidae?”
I shook my head, as I
was not a bird lover; although we shared the same love of the forest and birds.
“The birds live there
in Permatang Gadung. I used to keep one,” said Doy, his voice drowned by the
rumble of thunder.
Later, I looked up the
bird on the internet and found that the Storm Stork (Ciconia Stormi) was nearly
extinct. The bird, distinctive with an orange - yellowish bare facial skin,
with black and white plumage with red bill is thought to be only 250 to 500 left
in the wild. Their habitats are limited to the areas of Sumatera, Kalimantan
and Brunei.
In 2011, a young civil
servant, Erik Sulidra, accidentally captured the bird on his camera. The
incident spurred Erik to join Doy and his friends on a photographic journey,
capturing wildlife. Erik is now one of the best wildlife photographers in
Ketapang.
At one time, in order
to save a Storm's Stork chick at the hands of a hunter, Doy used some of the
money he had from his meagre salary as a teacher. The chick was starving and
had not yet grown its feathers. Doy brought the chick to his home in the
village of Tuan-tuan in Ketapang. Mira, his eldest daughter named the bird,
Edi. Two years later, Edi became healthier and more independent. Doy trained
the bird near a swamp behind his house. In 2012, Edi was released into
Permatang Gadung and in 2013 the bird appeared briefly near a pond at the home.
“It was only a brief
moment, and then it flew again,” said Doy, whose daughter Mira had spied the
bird.
In another incident,
Doy asked a Chinese taukeh at the
Ketapang wet market to release a grey crowned eagle that had been caught in a
fishing line. As he had lost interest in keeping the bird, a voracious eater,
he was happy to part with it. Doy was estatic and with Kawan Burung Ketapang
and Ketapang Biodiversity Keeping members went to the Permatang Gadung forest
to release the bird into the wild.
Where is Permatang
Gadung forest located? Doy was always full of praise for the area. He even
dubbed it the ‘Heart of Ketapang’.
Administratively, the
area is a jurisdiction under the Permatang Gadung village of the South Matan
Hilir sub-district. It is located only about 30 kilometers from the city of
Ketapang. It is almost entirely peat swamp forest, which is also a secondary forest. According to data recorded by the KBK, the
total area is 28 thousand hectares. But now it is estimated that the size has
been reduced to 14,000 hectares. The rest of the area is heath forest and deserted
gold mines that operated without permits, covering more than 7,000 hectares as
well a settlement area with a population of 2,839 inhabitants.
Doy grew up here. Born
just four days before Christmas in 1975 to Yahya Abdulah and Syamsiah. They are
a family of farmers, seasonal fishermen and hunters and had to feed 10
children. Doy was the seventh son.
I can feel Doy’s
anxiousness. I tried to comfort him, although it seemed pointless. Only last
month, I witnesses the Kepuluk River flooded turn into sludge, contaminated
from illegal gold mines upriver. Never mind the crocodiles, even the seluang
(devario regina) fish was almost difficult to find.
"I only saw a
glimpse (of the destruction), could you tell me more, Bang Doy?”
He did not answer the
question immediately. His hand reached for another cigarette. This was the
umpteenth stick that he had puffed on, since we sat talking. I glanced at the
ashtray, almost full with cigarette butts.
"Now the forest
area continues to shrink. When I was young it was a haven for birds, a shelter,
and home to the various species of monkeys and small mammals such as the orang
utans," he said, like a scientist.
Or wasn’t he a
scientist? It's just that he did not hold a degree from a university. Doy and
his colleagues had identified various types of flora and fauna there. They
documented the findings, and attached to it the local and scientific latin
names.
Doy could identify the
endemic animals or bird migrants that stopped by. He believes the Permatang
Gadung forest was a miniature world reflecting the co-existing habitat in
Ketapang Regency. This is because about 95 per cent of birds and mammals in
Ketapang Regency can be found in the forest.
Before the government
gave permission to the oil palm plantations, before the gold miners ravaged the
land, the Permatang Gadung forest was a beautiful oasis, sustainer of life for
the villagers. They fished, took the plants, and hunted the animals
selectively. This is now different to the ways of the people who live greedily.
The threat of
deforestation since the 1990s, mining, massive fire and oil palm plantations
continue to narrow the area where plants once thrived. This has threatened not
only the wildlife, but also the survival of the local community. The forest is
not only a collection of flora and fauna but in essence is an important
universe viable economically, socially and culturally for all living things.
***
His efforts at
conservation started when he taught in the village. He constantly reminded the
families living there to not be swayed by the riches offered by mining firms
and oil palms who eyed their lands greedily.
To equip himself, Doy
attended conservation awareness seminars at the local and national levels. He
was subsequently chosen as a head village in 2007 and had free reign to plan
his movements.
He lashed out openly
against corporate entities eyeing their land. He invited his friends to formed
the Bird Kawan Ketapang (KBK) community, which was also later known as Ketapang
Biodiversity Keeping (KBK).
They photograph the
wildlife and can be often found roaming in and out of the woods to capture
images of animals and the nature around them. His salary of only Rp700,000 a
month was often used to further the cause.
“Because of that, once,
a high-ranking security officer in Ketapang threatened to shoot me in the head,
"he said, while flicking away his cigarette ash.
The person had accused
Doy of helping a national TV station to uncover a story on the impact of gold
mining without permits in the area. This has resulted in pollution to Kepuluk
river, and threatened the remaining forested areas in Permatang Gadung. Even
so, with or without anyone’s aid, Doy still strives to protect the area.
Due to his efforts, in
2012, the United States Agency for International Development-Indonesia Forest
and Climate Support Project (USAID-IFACS) listed Permatang Gadung forest as
part of their landscape project in Kalimantan, under the Ketapang Regional
office. To learn more on USAID-IFACS, click here http://www.ifacs.or.id/id.
Moreover, some of the well-establihed
NGOs such as Fauna & Flora International (FFI), and the International
Animal Rescue (IAR) Foundation Indonesian had yet to carry out a detailed
research and survey of the activities in the area.
***
The rain did not wane.
The night wore on. Our coffee had long gone cold. Maybe as cold as the faith
Doy had in the Indonesian government that had ‘supported’ the villagers of
Permatang Gadung. The Forestry Minister of Indonesia is said to have decreed an
area of 14,000 hectares of forest for the villages in the vicinity. However, to
date he had yet to seen the purported decree sheet. Hence, Permatang Gadung was
still not safe from the radar of speculators and financiers.
Today, Doy was sitting
here, in front of me, on a rainy night until the city had become deserted. He
continued to ramble though the interview although it had long finished. He
talks about the mystery of the forest that were as complex as the human future
- of a sketch and legends tales that humans would be able to live long or die
quickly.
Doy pulled out another
cigarette, but did not light it. We became increasingly bored at waiting for
the rain to stop,as if there was no tomorrow. Night was becoming pitch black.
We eventually forced ourselves to brace the rain. Doy gave me a ride to the inn
where I stayed.
The next day I read the
news online at http://www.indosiar.com. There were reports of seven districts
in West Kalimantan that had been flooded. Tens of thousands of homes, rice
fields, cattle and a number of lives were lost - it reminded me of Bang Doy who
has chosen to live as a conservationist, devoting most of his life to look
after a patch of forest.*)
Copyright © Alexander Mering
