December 4, 2025 | 01:51 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The investigation into alleged illegal logging that worsened floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra during the extreme rainfall from Tropical Cyclone Senyar needs to be carried out along the wood supply chain. Major actors of deforestation are often found at the end of the supply chain, not at the logging site.
"The supply chain needs to be traced to the end, that's when the big names come out," said Chair of Auriga Nusantara Foundation Timer Manurung. He added, "Don't just look at it from the logging point of view, but look at the supply chain until the end. That's when we can get the real picture."
Speaking after the launch of the MapBiomas Alerta Platform in Jakarta on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, Timer explained that Auriga's data and investigation showed that many wood utilization activities in the Batang Toru Forest, South Tapanuli, are legal. However, he believes that legality does not automatically indicate good governance.
Chairman of Auriga Nusantara Foundation, Timer Manurung, speaking after the launch of the MapBiomas Alerta Platform in Jakarta on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Tempo/Defara
As is known, South Tapanuli, Central Tapanuli, and Sibolga are among the severely affected areas by the recent disaster. Log woods or round woods are among the large amounts of wood debris that swept along with the flash floods coming from the upstream. "That is what needs to be rechecked. We don't want something legal yet damaged; what we want is legality without damage," he said.
Timer also mentioned that the pattern of wood utilization in Batang Toru, South Tapanuli, is carried out systematically. He revealed that wood extraction and land clearing are carried out gradually and show indications of organization. "What we have seen in Batang Toru is that it is organized," he said.
The MapBiomas Indonesia coordinator added that the government's weak detection also contributes to the problem. Additionally, Batang Toru is located in a different land use zone (APL), which means the licensing mechanism differs from that used for forest areas. "The most visible problem is the government's inability to detect something, so we have problems like now."
Read: Indonesia Says It Is Probing Possible Environmental Damage Behind Sumatra Disaster
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