Those Who No Longer Log

"Working in the forest is a very difficult job, with sweat dripping down as thick as a cigarette. None of your clothes are dry, and we cannot wring them out because they are too wet. You can feel the bitterness and sweetness of life there,” recalled Sandi, a monthly logistics staff member in the Pulau Hanaut Zone, East Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan, one of the working areas of PT Rimba Makmur Utama (RMU). 

He is only 22 years old. However, Sandi has lived a hard life helping his parents to support the family. He did not graduate from elementary school. Going in and out of the forest became his routine, and the longest time he had lived in the forest was a month with his father and older brother.

Sometimes, they also have to work at night. After maghrib until midnight, carrying wood on their backs, walking through the forest using only a flashlight. After sleeping at night, the work of carrying wood starts again in the morning.  “In the beginning, I couldn't lift wood at all. So I just dragged it. Over time, I was able to lift two to three logs. On the first day of lifting, it felt incredibly heavy. But when it's been three days, you don't feel it anymore, and it doesn’t feel too painful," Sandi said. Sandi admitted that he and his family were big loggers in Hantipan, a village on Pulau Hanaut. In a month, they can produce 80 cubic meter planks of wood. Per cubic meter is sold for IDR 750 thousand to collectors in the village.

Likewise, until 2021, Aceng (22) was also one of the active illegal loggers. Then he got to know RMU and started working with a daily wage. Since his work was considered satisfactory, he was then offered a regular job with a monthly salary.  “We don't always want to work as loggers. The location of good wood is getting further away," added Aceng (22), who is now also a monthly logistics staff in the Pulau Hanaut Zone.  RMU's approach to illegal loggers is not an easy task. It takes a long time, often years, to build trust and change views about the high risk of being an illegal logger and the negative impact it has on nature in the future.

A holistic approach is taken, starting from identifying logging activities, such as providing alternative sources of livelihood and assistance to ensure these new sources can run sustainably. “We don't want residents who have agreed to leave the logger profession to eventually return because they feel their efforts are fruitless. With continuous assistance, this risk can be minimized," explained Deputy Head of the Pulau Hanaut Zone, Donnal Setiawan.

As a transition after stopping logging, they are generally involved in the Fire Preparedness Team, a community-based land and forest fires anticipation and handling group formed by the RMU together with the residents.

The new professions of former loggers are varied, from coconut sugar producers and chicken breeders to craftsmen. Some even started farming with the concept of no burning and no chemicals. The socialization of RMU staff to the villages became one of the momentums for Aceng and Sandi to change their way of life. Both are now on duty at the post and logistics transportation and getting a steady income every month is one of the driving forces to change direction. Moreover, Sandi is now married and has a two-and-a-half-year-old baby.

Now, they dream of being able to build a house in their hometown in Hantipan. Sandi added that he hopes that his baby can get a good education for a better future. "So he will not be like his father. Working in the forest was too tiring. It is not hot, but it feels like there is no air," said Sandy closing his story.