This document provides photographs and notes from a trip to Sumatra, Indonesia to document deforestation and forest protection efforts. It shows examples of localized deforestation near roads and oil palm plantations expanding. It also documents legal logging of acacia plantations by Sinar Mas Forestry, which acts as a buffer zone for protected natural forests, and efforts by the company to conserve forests, including by establishing protected zones and conducting species mapping and conservation assessments. However, illegal burning of forests by local communities for oil palm planting continues to be a challenge.

1. Deforesta)on
and
Forest
Protec)on
in
Indonesia
A
presenta)on
in
pictures,
with
notes
All
photographs
taken
by
Tobias
Webb
from
Jan
30
to
Feb
4
2014
in
Sumatra,
Indonesia
on
a
trip
with
APP/Sinar
Mas
forestry
Author,
the
Smarter
Business
Blog
at:
Tobiaswebb.blogspot.com

2. Just
a
few
kilometers
from
Pekanbaru,
Sumatra,
localised
deforesta)on
is
clearly
visible
from
the
roadside.
Indonesia
has
lost
nearly
half
its
forests
due
to
logging
and
palm
oil
plan)ng

3. Devasta)on
up
front,
oil
palm
at
the
back

4. Legal
cuNng
of
an
acacia
planta)on
by
Sinar
Mas
forestry,
AKA
Asia
Pulp
&
Paper.
These
trees
are
approximately
five
years
old,
and
produce
around
140
tonnes
of
wood
per
hectare.
This
Planta)on
also
serves
as
a
‘buffer
zone’
to
protect
natural
forest
set
aside
by
the
company

5. Protected
zone
in
green
within
yellow
buffer
zone

6. Acacia
wood,
when
cut,
is
moved
by
canals
cut
into
the
forest

7. Heading
into
the
forest
with
Indonesian
ecologists
to
map
species

11. With
a
“high
conserva)on
value”
assessment
team
in
the
forest

12. Into
the
peat
forest:
Most
of
the
set
aside
forest
area
in
the
midst
of
a
Sinar
Mas
concession
is
accessible
only
by
track,
canal,
river
or
helicopter.
This
forest
may
have
been
selec)vely
logged
in
the
past,
according
to
experts

16. Despite
slim-­‐ish
trunks,
some
natural
forest
has
trees
which
reach
over
sixty
meters
in
height

17. On
a
recent
trip
the
author
saw
fish
eagles,
monitor
Lizards,
macaque
monkeys,
hornbills
and
a
plethora
of
other
wildlife
in
this
reserve
now
protected
by
Asia
Pulp
&
Paper
/
Sinar
Mas

18. This
forest
o]en
floods
more
than
three
meters
above
this
level.
Crocs
lurk
somewhere
beneath,
and
fish
eagles
and
hornbills
fly
above

19. Riau
Rubber
tapper
on
the
edge
Of
protected
forest.
He
makes
80
US
cents
per
kilo
he
collects.
Oil
Palm
is
o]en
more
lucra)ve

20. Local
communi)es
like
this
one
in
Riau,
o]en
on
the
edge
of
protected
forest,
as
here,
o]en
burn
secondary
forest
to
plant
oil
palm

21. Secondary
forest,
as
here
in
the
background,
protects
carbon
locked
up
in
peat
from
being
released,
and
supports
biodiversity

22. Oil
palm
fruit:
Valuable
to
poor
villagers
who
are
o]en
migrant
communi)es

23. Village
life:
boat
building

24. Village
oil
palm:
Seen
as
essen)al

25. Protected
forest
viewed
from
a
helicopter.
APP/Sinar
Mas
works
to
conserve
this
with
the
help
of
local
communi)es:
But
when
migrant
communi)es
want
to
cut
forest,
what
then?

26. Just
as
the
scale
of
deforesta)on
is
shocking,
forest
held
back
from
destruc)on
is
stunning
to
see.
The
haze
is
caused
by
illegal
forest
burning
across
Riau

27. Shows
the
contrast
between
what
was,
and
what
is

28. Illegal
burning
of
peatland
to
clear
forest
for
oil
palm
in
a
protected
na)onal
park,
next
to
an
APP
concession.
Government
protected
areas
lack
capacity
and
will
to
enforce
the
law.
When
APP
finds
encroachment,
they
seek
to
persuade
local
police
to
help
prevent
forest
destruc)on.
A
far
cry
from
recently,
when
the
company
was
responsible
for
much
deforesta)on
across
Indonesia.
Some
campaigners
say
as
much
as
half
the
past
losses
are
due
to
APP/Sinar
Mas.
Now
the
company
is
commiged
to
saving
what
is
le]

29. Lost
forest
is
very
hard,
if
not
impossible
to
restore.
APP/Sinar
Mas
has
commiged
to
saving
what’s
le]
in
its
own
concessions
and
‘sphere
of
influence’.
A
year
into
its
commitments
not
to
cut
down
any
more
natural
forest,
its
agreement
with
The
Forest
Trust
and
Greenpeace
is
holding
and
the
firm
is
star)ng
to
try
and
win
back
customers
lost
during
10
years
of
campaigning
against
it

30. APP
/
Sinar
Mas
seeks
to
improve
acacia
produc)vity
to
more
than
200
tonnes
per
hectare
so
that
the
company
can
be
self-­‐sufficient
in
planta)on
fibre.
Meanwhile
rival
APRIL
says
it
will
use
natural
forest
fibre
un)l
2019
and
is
now
in
the
crosshairs
of
campaign
groups