6865 ha
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Pusat Konservasi Gajah Seblat or Seblat Centre for Elephant Conservation (PLG Seblat) is the forest area designated to protect the wild animal, such as Sumatran elephant, hornbill, owa, etc.

The total area is 6,865 ha, surrounded by large oil plantation. Land clearing for oil palm plantations, illegal logging, and main road project construction have serious impacts on elephant’s habitat.

Se more on www.gekkovoices.com

Rinjani, the Hearth of Lombok Island
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West Lesser Sunda have lost more than 500 thousand ha forest since 1998. On Lombok, small island with only 5.000 km2, it does have big impact to the livelihood. In 15 years, springs has reduce from 702 to 262. If the forest degradation continue, what would happened on the next 15 year?

See more on www.gekkovoices.com

"Lak Coa Lak : Hidup Adalah Pilihan"
Ade adalah seorang anak yatim piatu yang dari umur 9 tahun harus bekerja menyadap karet untuk menghidupi seorang nenek dan dua orang adiknya. Lak Coa Lak (bahasa daerah rejang, di Bengkulu) dalam bahasa Indonesia-nya berarti "Mau Tau Mau". Film ini aku buat ketika aku pulang ke kampung halamanku yaitu Arga Makmur, Bengkulu Utara tepatnya di rumah nenekku yaitu Desa Kali I.
Saat mendengar kisah tentang kehidupan Ade, aku seolah tak percaya. Anak seumur dia bisa menafkahi tiga orang keluarganya dan bisa mensekolahkan kedua adiknya.
Dari pukul 7.00 sampai pukul 15.00 setiap harinya dia harus bekerja menyadap karet. Hari-hari yang seharusnya ia habiskan bermain dengan teman-teman seumurnya terpaksa ditinggalkan demi sebuah harapan dan impian. Terkadang, setelah menyadap karet ia harus membersihkan sepetak kebun peninggalan ibunya dan memetik buah kopi jika memang pohonnya sudah berbuah. Karena umur nenek yang sudah tua, tidak bisa banyak bergerak dan melakukan perkerjaan berat, maka ia pun harus mengambil kendali untuk mengurusi rumah. Setiap pagi dan sore hari harus memasak dan menyiapkan makan untuk keluarga.
Terus berusaha selagi itu halal merupakan prinsip hidup yang selalu ia pegang. Walaupun hidup ini sengsara, tapi hidup memang harus dijalani. Mungkin ini sudah takdir Tuhan.
Dalam hati aku hanya bisa berdoa "semoga Tuhan selalu memberikan kemurahan jalan dan kelapangan hati" kepadanya. Anak seumur ini sudah harus berfikir dewasa dan bijaksana. Tetap rajin bekerja, tak pernah mengharapkan bantuan dan rasa iba dari orang lain.
Sementara, beribu-ribu kilometer dari tempatnya, seperti di Jakarta, Bogor, Surabaya, maupun kota-kota yang pernah aku kunjungi. Lelaki sehat dan bertubuh tegap, hidup hanya mengandalkan rasa iba dan kasihan dari orang lain. Hidup hanya bermodalkan gitar dan ocehan, terus meminta-minta kepada orang lain. Seolah-olah teramat gampang untuk mendapatkan uang.
Masih beruntungkah Ade? bisa bekerja di kebunnya, jika dibandingkan dengan anak-anak di kota yang berdiri di perempatan jalan?
Aku sendiri tidak tahu seperti apa itu hidup yang "beruntung"
Tapi yang jelas, film yang berdurasi 9 menit ini aku bikin bukan untuk membuat rasa penyesalan dan patah semangat, melainkan untuk memunculkan rasa optimis dalam menjalani hidup. Seperti yang dijalani oleh Ade. Walaupun dia harus bekerja dan tidak sekolah, tapi dia mempunyai impian besar, yaitu mensekolahkan kedua adiknya sampai tamat dan mempunyai kebun karet sendiri.
"Sampai kapankah anak-anak Indonesia harus menengadahkan tangannya di perempatan lampu merah. Di kereta. Di bus. Di angkot dan di warung-warung makan. Hidup dengan kemiskinan dan masa depan yang suram. Dan tak jarang juga menerima pelecehan seksual, penganiayaan".
"Sementara... Kepedulian akan sesama jauh dari harapan. Perbedaan status sosial kenyataan memang, sengaja diperlihatkan. Korupsi terang-terangan dilakukan. Undang-undang dan hukum dibikin hanya untuk mendapatkan uang dan juga memang menguntungkan yang punya uang".

Teluk Jakarta, Under Pressure
Video sent by gekkostudio

More than 14,000 m3/day of household garbage place the Jakartan under threat. During the period 1999-2002, the fisheries production dropped significantly to 38%. If everything is already polluted… is the judgement day will come soon?

© P4W/Gekko Studio 2006

Rinjani, the Hearth of Lombok Island
Video sent by gekkostudio

West Lesser Sunda have lost more than 500 thousand ha forest since 1998. On Lombok, small island with only 5.000 km2, it does have big impact to the livelihood. In 15 years, springs has reduce from 702 to 262. If the forest degradation continue, what would happened on the next 15 year?

©WWF/Gekko Studio 2006

5x5 Bukit Lawang
Video sent by gekkostudio

The film is based in Bukit Lawang, where devastating floods caused over 239 deaths in 2003. The flooding was attributed to illegal logging in the surrounding Gunung Leuser National Park. Since the floods, this village community has been involved in voluntary forest governance enforcement schemes in an attempt to curb illegal logging in the National Park. The community has also started to recognise the important role of ecotourism in the preservation of their surrounding forests.

Eco-Tourism replaces Illegal Logging:
The story of Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia

It had rained heavilly for two days. Few of the locals along the Bahorok river in northern Sumatra showed much concern. The river communities of Indonesia have grown familiar with flooding during the rainy season. This time things would be tragically different. On the night of 2nd November 2003 a massive flash flood swept through and devastated settlements along the banks of the Bahorok. The epi-centre of the tragedy focussed on one small village, the tourist resort of Bukit Lawang.

Sometimes the issues surrounding climate change, deforestation and illegal logging can seem so inordinately vast: the human side - the personal story - can often be forgotten. Occasionally these global problems of deforestation
impact themselves in one tiny area: and suddenly, in a microcosm, all the devastation and horror has a very real human face. The village of Bukit Lawang inadvertently found itself thrust into such a position.

Bukit Lawang had originally been a small village on the edge of an oil-palm plantation, but since the founding of the Gunung Leuser national park and the establishment of the world famous orangutan rehabilitation centre a mile upstream, the village had prospered and thrived through tourism. In the space of a few hours that tragic night Bukit Lawang in effect completely dissapeared: 400 houses, 3 mosques, 8 bridges, 280 kiosks and food stalls, 35 inns and guest houses: all had gone. 239 villagers, as well as five tourists, were dead. 1,400 locals found themselves displaced.

When the worst of the flood water had abated and the desperate search for survivors finally called off, the villagers found a curious sight surrounding them. Thousands of massive logs mixed with rocks and mud stood in ugly heaps along the valley, the riverbank and the site of the village. Some of these piles stood more than two stories high. It suggested the tragedy was not natural but caused by logging in the national park. It was discovered, although stringently denied by the authorities, that loggers had felled several thousand trees in the upper reaches of the mountains and had been storing them in an artificial dam, before sending them downriver. After the heavy rainfall, landslides from deforested parts of the park tumbled into the swollen river: the Bahorok, beyond its holding capacity abruptly burst its banks. The flood water roared downstream carrying with it its deadly cargo of chainsawed logs and timber, which acting like battering-rams, smashed and flattened everything in their path.

The clean-up operation cleared away the accumulation of debris, aid organisations and local authorities constructed new bridges, reinforced the banks of the Bahork and built a new housing complex on the higher ground. Slowly things are adjusting back to an air of normality, thanks largely to the strength and spirit of the community. Village members share whatever aid they recieve and work together without question. But despite the rich, often cheerful spirit of the survivors – a deep sadness remains hidden just below the surface. It’s the fourth year since the flood and Rahmad Nasution will be thinking about his life before the tragedy: his daily routines, his family that he will never see again, the others who were lost in this remarkably close community. Rahmad’s memories are unequivocally painful

“...I tried to save the older people, but I was trapped in the middle of the river, it was very dark and I still heard the crying for help. I had no chance to save my family, my sweetest people, my child, my supersede, I was not strong during that time...the day after, I found my sister, my wife’s-parents, then my wife, that is the unforgettable moment, it will be my wound...I thank God he gave me my life, I pray to him for the people who died...”

Since the disaster, something unique has occured in the vicinity of the Bahork river which could well send a message to other areas within Indonesia. The strength in community has led to a motivation among many villagers to finally put an end to illegal logging in their forests. Through the aid and suprevision of YLL, an NGO based in nearby Medan, the communities themselves are forming initiatives and organisations to help stop the practice of illegal logging in the national park. In the nearby village of Penampean local people have joined a volunteer ranger unit which patrols the forest.

“...the history of ranger in Penampean started after Bukit Lawang flood, triggered by YLL we established a ranger organisation to protect the forest. Many of my friends had been involved in illegal logging activities but now they think again: our forest is nearly broken, people have had a negative impact, so our ex-logger friends have joined with the rangers to curb illegal logging in Gunung Leuser national park. Our purpose now is to establish eco-tourism in the vilage...”

Bukit Lawang has slowly rebuilt itself since the flood. Along the riverside where women of the village launder, whilst their children play and totter in the slow swirling shallows, there are once again small restaurants and food stalls and guest houses. The few remaining hotels are also opening and recieving tourists. The orangutan rehabilitation centre has been repaired and already visitors queue at the river crossing to see the great red-haired ape of the Sumatran rainforest. Bukit Lawang is open once more.

“...regarding eco-tourism actvities we started to organise meetings to make the community aware of the importance of eco-tourism, such as forming groups of (forest) guides...the impact of the Bahorok flood has not been good on the tourist industry, if we compare today with the past, less tourists have come than before, so our strategy is to promote the benefits of eco-tourism ...this is being implemented in daily life...eco-tourism will protect the daily life of the community as well as the national park...” said Didi Charamsar, executive director YLL.