Hutan Harapan is one of the last remaining fragments of lowland rainforest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra; one of the most threatened types of rainforest in the world. The RSPB has been working with PT REKI, BirdLife International and Burung Indonesia (BirdLife Indonesia) to protect and restore Hutan Harapan since 2007. Covering more than 98,000 hectares, Hutan Harapan is critically important for nature and is also an important store of carbon. It is home to a host of rare animal and plant species, including the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger, of which fewer than 300 remain in the wild. Three hundred species of bird also call Harapan home, including the world’s rarest stork –Storm’s Stork.
Despite some amazing wins and groundbreaking conservation work, protecting and managing a site such as this is not without its difficulties or threats. During the last few years, mining companies working in the wider landscape have put forward proposals for the building of coal haulage roads which would have severe impacts on the integrity of Hutan Harapan forest and the rich biodiversity that it supports.
The RSPB and our partners have been trying to stop this since 2014, looking at and proposing alternatives to a road through the forest. In 2019, the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry authorised a construction company to build a road through the south of the Hutan Harapan concession to transport coal from nearby mines. Whilst work has still not commenced, when the road goes ahead, Harapan will be compromised and the wildlife and indigenous communities put at risk.
We are now in a place where we have had to make the decision to settle with the road construction company and accept compensation for the forest loss and to focus on protecting and restoring the remaining forest. Whilst this is far from the outcome we envisioned, it was clear that if we didn’t reach an agreement then the road would have been built anyway and we would have reduced influence on mitigating the social and environmental impacts of the road.
It is incongruous that in 2007 the Ministry of Env & Forestry issues a forest ecosystem restoration license and then in 2023 issues a coal road license bisecting the same area. While Hutan Harapan concession contributes to reducing Indonesia's carbon emissions and enhance biodiversity, the government continues to promote fossil fuel use, coal burning, deforestation, biodiversity loss and contribute to climate change. Shame on the Ministry and coal company reaponsible for this.