Forest Preserve and Increase Public Revenue
Cases of illegal logging or illegal logging becomes a serious problem in this country. Semrawutnya corruption and law enforcement into two things that give the largest contribution to the occurrence of such criminal acts.

tropical-forest-01Dari many environmental fighters carrying moving to actively seek a solution to this problem is Silverius Oscar-Winning. The man with the familiar greeting Onte successfully appealed the people in forest areas WakatobiRegency, Southeast Sulawesi, leaving the habit of illegally cutting down forests. Football Onte lunge to make people aware of initially did not go smoothly. Onte started the rescue story in WakatobiRegency forest in 1997. At that time, he was quite striking to see the changes on the economic condition of society there. Onte, who was then a member of a group of nature lovers at Haluoleo University Faculty of Agriculture, see the natural conditions there is very worrying. The chaos caused by so many bald forests and rivers dry up.

"This condition occurs since there is a company that pocketed the HPH (forest tenure) and then there is illegal logging," beber Onte. Are concerned, with her friends Onte forming NGOs Yayasan Cinta Alam (YASCITA NGOs), which consists of eight people. Last YASCITA Foundation in cooperation with the soles of a focus on issues of indigenous peoples, farmers, and fishermen. Onte joined palms since 1999. Both the organization and conduct campaigns antipembalakan wild. One way to make a Radio Swara Alam. Onte claims received grants from various sources, including the British government and The Gibbon Foundation, up to USD 80 million. Not enough with the campaign via radio, they campaigned through television broadcasts. With USD 300 million of grant funds, they established Kendari TV.

Just koar-koar through radio and television was not working people aware that already overdo dependence earns revenue from illegal logging. Yes, Onte said, his true perpetrators of illegal logging is the local community. Community forest felling and menyetornya to the big timber barons there. These communities formed groups according to the barons that they follow. "The number of loggers, I suppose, could be up to thousands," said Vice Chairman of the Foundation of this palm. Not only an increasingly barren forests, social conflict also broke out there. Onte look to get certain amounts of timber barons demand, often inter-group conflict. Increasingly murky conflict with racial issues that blows due to chance WakatobiRegency including areas inhabited by diverse tribes.

Year 2002 Onte designing a system to manage forests sustainably. He formed a group called Network for Forest (FAR). Together with the palms, he formed the Forest Cooperative Lestari Jaya (HJL). Onte and his colleagues then made approaches to the community willing to join. They have promised higher income if you're willing to apply responsible logging. Of the 792 heads of families who claimed to be interested, only seven heads of families who really willing to participate.

Responsible logging systems this refers to the standard timber cation ecolabel certification. Ecolabel standards must meet the three aspects, namely social, economic, and environmental. Socially, this system should not cause social problems. From the economic aspect, this system should be able to survive to meet the economic needs in the long term. While the environmental aspects, this system must not damage the environment. Some of the terms of logging of trees, for example, just cut down trees at least 30 centimeters in diameter upwards. There are also provisions for post-planting 10 trees cut down a tree.

This cooperative work pocketed international ecolabel certification from SmartWood of the Forest Stewardship Council. They proved themselves able to cultivate the forest in a responsible manner. With the certificate, log prices rose sharply. Onte say, people who used to sell USD 600 000 per cubic meter to a baron, has sold USD 6.4 million per cubic meter to the cooperative. The cooperative, which then export.

Now hundreds of heads of households who are members in 46 villages had joined the cooperative. Land area which was originally managed by cooperatives only 100 hectares (ha) has now reached 800 ha. Velocity of money in the cooperative between USD 1.3 billion-USD 1.5 billion a year. This is beyond retribution to the local government amounted to USD 200 million per year and the money paid to the village valued at Rp 20,000 per square meter to a village whose tree felled. Shifting to join a cooperative society causing decreased the amount of illegal logging. Onte calculation, from 30 illegal sawmills that once existed, now only remaining one. Onte forward and friends have an idea to establish a timber processing factory. By selling the wood in the form of components, such as wood tiles, the selling price could be higher.

The plan will be established at the factory WakatobiRegency and Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, which also applies Konawe processing system such as forests in the forest area of 5000 ha. Each plant will have capacity to process up to 3000 cubic meters per year. Their capital from U.S. $ 765,000 prize obtained Onte and with his friend Ambrose Ruwindrijarto of palms in 2010 from The Sköll Foundation. "Together with palms, we are also being actively implement forest treatment system in 2000 is responsible for forests in Lampung and 3000 ha of forest in Papua," said Onte, who is also Executive Director MUCH.