October 13 2008: Kaimana, West Papua, Indonesia - Greenpeace Esperanza Expedition (sitios de interés)

Illegal logging exposed in Kaimana, West Papua

We’ve already seen some incursions into the forests of Papua and West Papua, mainly logging roads and small camps but also deforestation on a much larger scale near Jayapura, at the hands of palm oil producer Sinar Mas. Then today our helicopter team discovered illegal logging was in progress.

The team passed over the Kaimana area in West Papua where two logging companies had previously been operating, but had their permits suspended earlier this year. In July, the Indonesian police arrested senior executives of both companies - PT Centrico and PT Kaltim Hutama - for violating national forestry laws by logging outside the areas set in their permits.

With all permits for this area currently suspended, there should be no logging activities of any kind, and yet logs were being loaded onto a barge to be transported downriver. And they were merbau logs, a highly vulnerable species of hardwood that also fetches a high price.

Merbau logs being loaded onto a barge in Kaimana, West Papua
© Greenpeace/Rante

© 2008 Greenpeace