TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Andri Saputra, also known as Aan, is a former illegal logger. As a teenager in the Sungai Rawa village, Riau, Aan would join adults in the village as they wantonly felled trees in the forest. He felt no guilt and could not see how they were damaging the environment. "It was normal for locals to cut down trees," said the 30-year-old.
The young logger is now an environmental activist. In 2010, as a law student at the Riau Islam University (UIR), Aan helped establish the Siak Regency Care Student Movement (GMPKS). The community served as a forum for students at various universities in the regency, including UIR, Riau State University, Lancang Kuning University and the Riau Health Institute. Members communicated through social networks and organizational activities.
Aan later became the chair of the organization. He began encouraging the community to actively protect the environment. At the time, he was restless about the environmental changes he had been witnessing in his village. Sungai Rawa village, once cool, had turned hot.
It did not take Aan long to understand that it was the destruction of forests that had transformed the climate in his village. Discussions among members yielded several strategies for addressing the concern. "We decided we wanted to map out Siak's environmental problems," he said. "We, the youths of Siak, understand the problems of our own village."
Only a handful of college students were involved at first, but the group's membership has now grown to 200, with 50 members active in weekly meetings and a number of organizational activities. Since the GMPKS is a university student organization, membership terminates upon graduation.
Although Aan has finished his studies and now works for the non-profit Riau Bog Society Network (JMGR), he still provides advice to the student organization. Likewise, Syafridoni, a former member and an alumnus of the Riau Islam University's governmental studies, still does what he can for the organization. "We maintain our ties with the network because the various environmental concerns need support," said the 27-year-old who is also an activist with the Bof Society.
At the start, the university organization collaborated with the Riau Forest Rescue Network (Jikalahari), a non-profit organization. The student organization did not have enough experience to work alone, Aan said. Jikalahari, an organization that focuses on environmental and social issues, taught the student members advocacy and forest restoration. The non-profit also approached villagers. The student activists performed field work with Jikalahari's assistance.
First, the student group advocated for fair pay for the employees of an oil palm company operating in Riau. The group filed a lawsuit against the company based on a salary complaint report filed by the people. The company was giving its employees a monthly salary of around Rp800,000 when they should have been paid above Rp1 million, the minimum wage in the area at that time.
After, the student members returned to the field to assist Minas Barat village residents, who were involved in a land conflict with Arara Abadi. Villagers were worried about their land, which borders the company's property, Syafridoni said.
With the help of the student organization, village residents reached an agreement with the company and signed a border regulation. "That got the villagers in good spirits," he said.
The student body provides assistantship to local communities free of charge. "We're not expecting money," Aan said. Funding for the five-year-old organization comes from members' contributions, including to cover the rent for the organization's office, where regular discussions are held on weekends. "We work together to collect money," said Fahrurozi, law student at the Riau State University and the current chair.
Besides advocacy, the organization also encourages local communities to plant mangrove, said Aan. Sungai Rawa, located on the coast, is vulnerable to abrasion. Though mangrove trees are found in abundance along the coast, they have been damaged by boats carrying acacia wood. These vessels, owned by a number of Siak-based palm oil companies, would drop their anchor in mangrove forests.
The youth organization has urged residents to request compensation for replacing mangrove trees damaged by these companies. The organization also raises awareness on the importance of sustainable mangrove forest management, for both environmental and economic benefits, as mangrove forests present an opportunity for ecotourism. (*)
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