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| Raising awareness for Batang Toru
The critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, sun baers, tapir and many other rare and endangered species are still found in the Batang Toru forest. Recently the PanEco camera trapping programme captured the image of a Sumatran tiger, confirming the presence of this species in Batang Toru forest. According to a YEL study, there are approximately 8 000 Nias people living near the Batang Toru forest edges. Immigration from Nias to Batang Toru started some 30 years ago. The Sialogo sub-village was the first one to be established, Malaka followed in 1973. However most of the sub-villages were established in the late 80ies and 90ies. Today, there are eight Nias sub-villages inside the protection forest and up to 2 200 hectares of forest have been encroached.
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Mr. Pinda Sianturi from YEL Pandan gave a presentation on forest functions as a life support system and on threats to this forest by encroachment through immigrants from Nias. Gunung Gea from YEL Medan also attended the meeting and introduced himself as a Nias person. He requested the church leaders to urge the Nias communities in Central Tapanuli to immediately halt encroaching new forest areas and to stop inviting their friends and relatives to encroach in Batang Toru, because the forest has a limited carrying capacity. If they continue to expand encroachment in Batang Toru Forest it will not only endanger the lives of other people in Central Tapanuli, but it will also endanger their own lives because of natural disaster.
Following the presentation, one of the participants, Ms. Rohati Zalukhu from Kalangan Church, asked why we suggested stopping encroachment in Batang Toru Forest as the Nias People encroach the area because of poverty. "They encroach this area only to earn small income for living," she said. Pinda Sianturi responded by explaining that it is not true because right now some of them already control land from 5 to 30 hectares per family in Sitahuis. In his closing statement, Fonazaro Gulo, chairman of the Resort 40 BNKP Church Council, explained that in the near future the 37 churches under Resort 40 plan to include an Environment Programme in their Annual Programme to cater awareness among the Nias community inside and near the Batang Toru forest.
On May 28, a similar event will be carried out with BNKP church in Sibolga municipality because some of its members are also located near the Batang Toru forest.
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