Fachrurrazi Ch. Malley

Fachrurrazi Ch. Malley (Rajidt) is building a network of activists to stop the illegal logging that is devastating Indonesia's forests.

Rajidt believes that the people of forest communities can play a crucial role in maintaining forests, particularly in halting illegal logging practices. Together with government, business, and citizen sector organizations, communities must act as major stakeholders in forest management. By teaching community members to become special investigators, Rajidt is helping them maintain access and control over their forest resources.
Rajidt uses the work and collaboration of environmental investigators, people from forest area communities, and concerned activists to monitor, pressure, and finally put an end to the illegal logging practices of all parties, especially those of the big concessionaires. Investigators are specially trained to gather information and develop reports to serve as proof of the illegal practices. Links with national and international groups put pressure on major offenders and push for policy change. Rajidt believes that the application of gathered data is what is urgently needed to promote prompt action on forest destruction problems. Most others working on forest protection issues make use of secondary data, rather than information gathered firsthand. The data obtained by Rajidt and his trained investigators make a significant contribution to advocacy groups, the media, and other forestry groups–all of whom lack this essential information.
Rajidt has devoted the past 15 years to the training and development of forest preservation investigators and has recently grasped the opportunity to spread his training module to other areas. Expansion of Rajidt's methods will continue the battle against illegal logging and thus protect the vital forests that serve as habitats and livelihoods for many of Indonesia's plants, animals, and citizens.

Indonesia represents only 1.3 percent of the earth's land surface but harbors 11 percent of the world's plant species, 10 percent of the mammal species, and 16 percent of the bird species. The majority of these are found in forests. Yet the deforestation and degradation of forests in Indonesia is taking place at an alarming rate–one estimate cites that "every hour logging in Indonesia's forests fells trees at a rate fast enough to lay out six soccer fields." In 1950 forests covered 162 million hectares, but by the year 2000 there was a 40 percent decline to 98 million hectares and a present destruction rate of approximately two million hectares per year. At such rates, lowland forests are predicted to disappear in the large islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan by 2010. As well, many plant and animal species are endangered–570 species of trees are endangered, and animals like the unique orangutans and the Sumatran elephant, rhino, and tiger are all facing extinction because of habitat destruction.
Since the early days of the Suharto era, timber has been promoted as one of the country's main export commodities. Since the early 1970s, the central government has allocated large concession areas to individual companies (50-200,000 hectares in area), with military personnel owning or backing many of them. While licenses require adherence to specific rules, e.g., boundaries, types of trees to be felled, and regulations about replanting, this legal, commercial-scale logging has continued to devastate the forests.
There is also the enormous problem of illegal logging, at times resulting from the spillover from legal activities in the "production forests" (like taking more than allowed in the concession documents) and other times from logging operations in "conversion forests" (like those allowed to be converted to palm oil plantations), and even from extensive logging in areas designated as conservation forests. There are reports that national parks all over the country are suffering from the activities of illegal loggers destroying 20-50 percent of their areas. All of this activity is supported by illegal sawmills that process the timber–often smuggling it out to foreign markets.
Since the introduction of regional autonomy in January 2001, coupled with the continuing economic crisis, there has been a drastic increase in illegal logging all over the country by local administrations and military and business individuals looking for extra income. Illegal logging is hard to document accurately, but calculations made from the percentages of wood supplies sent to plywood, pulp, and paper companies from their "legal" sources indicate that 65 percent of materials are obtained from illegal logging.
Furthermore, the power of the state in determining who, how, and for what purpose natural forest resources can be used has resulted in a lack of access for local communities. Yet these communities are often blamed for forest destruction because of their slash-and-burn agricultural techniques, practices that have been used in sustainable ways for centuries. Approximately 30 million forest-dwelling or forest-dependent people rely on Indonesia's forests–harvesting and gathering nontimber products, farming with traditional food cultivation methods, and cultivating tree crops like coffee and rubber. In recent decades, government regulations have essentially overturned these citizens' customary rights to land and resources.
Another problem is that although there are a number of local and national citizen organizations active in advocacy for forest protection, they lack accurate and up-to-date information and have no detailed, firsthand, grassroots information necessary to prove their cases.

After establishing KSKA (Nature Group for Conservation Studies) during his university days and later setting up Sangkala as a hiking and adventure club, Rajidt and a small group of friends decided to establish YLL (Foundation for the Conservation of Leuser) in 1987 as an official organization to concentrate in a professional way on the problems of forest degradation. YLL began its mission protecting Leuser National Park in north Sumatra through research, education, training and orientation programs, and reforestation. Rajidt says he was inspired by the idea of turning his former "hobbies" into a real job.
Through his work in Leuser, Rajidt became more aware of the depth of forest degradation problems, for example, the pervasive role of the military. His experiences led him to the realization that the collection, documentation, and dissemination of firsthand, hard data was the essential ingredient missing from the forest protection movement. Rajidt began to develop the first group of forest investigators–turning nature lovers into experts–to expose the actual activities and parties responsible for forest degradation. Through YLL, Rajidt began developing his training methodology for investigators: training them to deal with physical conditions and dangers and developing their mental discipline, technical skills, and knowledge. Rajidt now has a full training module used by citizen sector organizations throughout the country, one that has trained more than 200 qualified investigators in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, Sulawesi, and Papua.
Although there is always the danger of the investigators being "bought" by the logging companies themselves, since salaries are low, this rarely happens because of the socialization process at the selection stage and the investigators' high commitment to work. Investigators generally feel like experts, having acquired special skills to tackle all aspects of a task. Knowing exactly what data to look for and taking responsibility for making detailed reports gives investigators this confidence. They know how to support forest conservation through campaign strategies and are trained to solve controversies through conflict resolution. Investigators are adept at all the tricks, knowing how to disguise themselves as bird watchers, village traders, or even log buyers to find out exactly what is going on in the forests of the country.
During the 1990s, Rajidt's investigators produced data for hundreds of reports. To investigate one timber company site, it might take 20 or more visits into the area. Final reports must make note of important data like the type of forest destruction, specific parties involved, who or what is affected, and other factors. The reports, which contain only facts not opinions, are taken to many contacts including local government and forestry authorities to convince them to enforce implementation of existing regulations. Reports are also given to the media in order to influence public opinion. Local communities use the publications to build knowledge and alternative strategies, while citizen networks and central government authorities work toward policy change. Finally, reports are distributed to timber companies to try and convince them to be more responsible. Rajidt points out that there are always reactions to the reports because they provide hard evidence.
Rajidt can attest to contributing substantially to many important successes. For example, investigators' work led to cancellations or no renewals of forest permits for rogue companies in Aceh, north Sumatra, and east Kalimantan. Rajidt and his team also led efforts in achieving a moratorium on logging in Aceh Province, a presidential instruction to stop illegal logging in two separate national parks, and a number of people's movements to protest companies' exploitation of forest resources in conservation areas. As well as continuing investigative and reporting work at many sites throughout the country, YLL is working now on measures for the closure of all illegal sawmills and audits on all legal ones. The organization is moving forward to institute a law on forest management, acknowledging the active role of local and indigenous communities, and it is working to strengthen agreements with other countries to cease the imports of illegal or stolen timber and logs. The YLL continues to work toward establishing social and environmental standards for industrial investment in the timber industry. The ultimate goal is an environment where responsible companies operate with community controls.
In addition to the impact of these successes, Rajidt is achieving widespread social change from the production and distribution of materials in language easily understood by communities. Fact sheets, videos, and detailed "scientific" reports have an important impact at both national and international levels. Rajidt notes that although the fact sheets and publications often show different figures from those of the government, this has a positive effect as it stimulates more collaboration with government. The information and evidence also help create public outcries that function like effective "courts of public opinion," whereas actual court cases usually fail because the judicial system is often corrupt and inefficient and getting witnesses is difficult.
Rajidt works effectively as a networker, connecting many partnerships with organizations specializing in natural research management, nature studies, and biodiversity. Partnering organizations have helped to train investigators in five regions in Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Papua, and Java) and have assisted in developing a network of forest monitors. Since early 2001, Rajidt has been focusing his work on improving human resources with a three-pronged program: increasing abilities and enthusiasm; stimulating and promoting community initiatives; and promoting multisector involvement.

Rajidt's family originated in a rural area in west Sumatra and moved to the city of Medan when he was a child. At the end of his schooling, Rajidt returned to work as a farmer for three rice harvests to save up money for his university education. He remembers experiencing the effects of deforestation in the hills above the village when the river ran dry in the dry season. As a student always at the top of his class in high school, Rajidt was awarded a place at university. In order to get the funds to pay for his education, Rajidt worked from time to time as a parking attendant, construction worker, and private tutor for school students in math, physics, and chemistry.
Rajidt's first degree was in chemistry, and he later completed a masters' degree in environment and natural resource management, writing his thesis on "Community Participation in the Management of Leuser National Park." While on campus he was known as a student activist who was active in several organizations and in programs for street children.
After completing his formal education, Rajidt worked for various citizen sector organizations. He spent time as a field officer on forest research and as an Earth Trust field representative for the Sumateran tiger campaign. He also held the position of vice president of Gerperindo (Movement to Control Pulp Paper in Indonesia). He continues to work at YLL in various positions and teaches part-time courses on environmental issues at a private university in Medan.