Tropical Deforestation in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

The Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBSNP), the third-largest protected area (356.800ha) on the Indonesian island of Sumatra contains some of the largest tracts of tropical forest remaining on Sumatra. The park is home to some of the world’s endangered mammals and some endemic mammals. The greatest threats to conservation of BBSNP are deforestation, but accurate estimates of the scale and rate of loss are lacking. Here, I was link time series satellite imageries, historical record, and socio-economic survey to provide an accurate estimates of deforestation in BBSNP and to unravel the causes of deforestation. The result shows BBSNP’s forests have been cleared since 1960s, earlier than previous estimation. Before 1972 BBSNP forest has been lost of 46.100 ha, representing a 13% loss. From 1972 until 2006, deforestation in BBSNP averaged 0.64% per year. The forest of BBSNP 67,225 ha of the original forest of 310,670 ha that remained in 1972, representing a 21% loss from 1972 to 2006. The majority (80%) of forest conversion resulted from agricultural development. Three levels of the causes of deforestation were identified: 1) agents, 2) immediate causes, and 3) underlying causes. The agents of deforestation are farmers; the immediate causes are timber concessions, illegal loggings, and coffee price; and the underlying causes are law enforcement and socio-economic condition. The conclusions are BBSNP forests cover has been lost dramatically and in the recent years have suffered tremendous loss. The most important of the causes of deforestation are immediate causes and underlying causes because the agent never cleared more forest if there are no immediate and underlying causes.