Stop talking, send timber, says WWF
27 Apr 2005
JAKARTA/ACEH: Aceh's already shattered landscape faces further devastation if donor countries do not immediately supply the tsunami-stricken province with sustainably-sourced timber.
The warning was made at the launch of a set of reconstruction guidelines developed by WWF-Indonesia to strengthen and safeguard Aceh's environment against future threats.
The guidelines come at a time when there is mounting pressure to see delivery of the vast sums of aid promised by the international community.
Millions of people around the world donated money to the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 300,000 people on the 26th December last year.
Yet exactly four months after the event, major reconstruction has still not begun in Aceh where thousands of people remain displaced and homeless.
Executive Director of WWF-Indonesia Mubariq Ahmad said the organisation had developed a framework that would strengthen both communities and the environment.
The call for imported timber for Aceh is the first phase of a reconstruction effort designed to minimise the impacts that large-scale rebuilding would have on its already stressed environment.
Mubariq said Aceh faced the likelihood of further humanitarian and ecological disasters unless timber for reconstruction was immediately brought into the devastated Indonesian province.
"If the amount of timber needed for the reconstruction of Aceh was sourced locally, the result would be massive deforestation," Mubariq said.
"This would lead to further floods and landslides and the potential for further tragedy for the Indonesian people.
"It would also threaten Indonesia's beleaguered wildlife, which includes iconic species such as the Sumatran tiger, rhino and elephant, and the region's populations of orang utans."
A report by WWF and policy research institution Greenomics Indonesia estimates that one million cubic metres of timber will be needed to rebuild Aceh over the next five years.
Acting Governor of Aceh Azwar Abubakar called on donor countries and international NGOs to support green reconstruction in the province.
"I invite donor countries, international institutions and international NGOs to play their part by providing assistance and support to ensure that the reconstruction activities in Aceh have a minimal negative impact on its ecology," Abubakar said.
He said that it was vitally important that the international community provided timber so that the reconstruction process in Aceh could begin.
"The supply of domestically-sourced timber to meet Aceh's entire reconstruction needs cannot realistically be expected.
"I believe that assistance in the form of timber from imported sources would be a proactive step towards a sustainable solution for Aceh's reconstruction."
The Green Reconstruction Policy Guidelines parallel the Master Plan for Aceh's Reconstruction, released by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, which also calls for the province to be rebuilt along sustainable guidelines.
Mubariq said the Green Reconstruction Policy Guidelines would help to provide natural defence barriers against future tsunamis and extreme weather events.
"It is vital that we don't make the same mistakes of the past. We need to rebuild Aceh in a sustainable and safe way for the future wellbeing of Aceh's people," Mubariq said.
For further information and to arrange interviews please contact:
Charlie Stevens
WWF-Australia Communications Officer
Mobile: 0424 649 689
Jacqueline McArthur
WWF-Australia Communications Manager - Media
Mobile: 0408 626 780
Mubariq Ahmad
CEO, WWF-Indonesia
Mobile: +62 0 438652696
Office: +62 215761070
Ralph Ashton
WWF-Australia Program Leader
Mobile: 0417 275 471
