Ingin Mengajak Menhut RI Zulkifli Hasan ke Jambi bersama FLEGT: Marissa Haque Fawzi

Massmedia Visit to Bukit Duabelas National Park

To broaden news reporters’ perspective about the issue of illegal logging, EC FLEGT Support Project coordinated a massmedia visit to Bukit Duabelas National Park (TNBK) in Jambi for three days from 3-6 July, 2007. In that visit the group of news reporters succeeded in directly discovering illegal logging within the area of Bukit Duabelas National Park.

In this massmedia visit participated 30 persons, i.e. news reporters from printed and electronic media, officers from related government agencies, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and staff from EC FLEGT Support Project. The following news media was participating: Trans-7, SCTV, Trans TV, TVRI, RCTI, Metro TV, and Jambi Express.

This massmedia visit was coordinated by the Media and Communication Specialist from EC FLEGT Support Project, Purnomo Nurwihadi Wiwoho, assisted by Imam Suyudi and Eddy Harfia Surma from the Jambi office of EC FLEGT Support Project.

Besides the news reporters’, the group from Jakarta also included an artist being also an environmental activist, Marissa Haque Fauzi. Marisa Haque’s participation made a particular appeal of this visit. In this visit she presented various press statements to the news reporters, and engaged in a direct dialog with the community. Marissa Haque at this time is conducting an in-depth study into the issue of illegal logging in Indonesia as material for her thesis to earn a PhD degree.

Besides the news reporters and the artist, some NGOs also took part in the visit including PINSE and Warsi NGOs. Government agencies were also represented including those from the Forestry Service of Jambi Province, the staff of Bukit Duabelas National Park, the Bureau of Natural Resource Conservation and the Local Police of Jambi Province.

In this visit, the group of news reporters succeeded in meeting the illegal loggers and engaged in a dialogue with them in Bukit Duabelas National Park in Batanghari district. Also they have directly witnessed the abandoned logging trucks by the drivers probably in fear of watching the coming of the group.

During the visit they also came across a sawmill within the forest, which probably had just been abandoned by its owner. Some heaps of wood ready for transport were also discovered in the same forest area. The massmedia visit has received a wide coverage by both the electronic and printed media.