Rudi Putra: Aceh's green warrior

Courtesy of Goldman Environmental Prize

€œWhat is the point of having a lot of money if we don'€™t protect the environment? Man-made disasters will eventually harm us. Acehnese conservationist Rudi Putra woke up one morning to a call from Goldman Environmental Foundation, telling him that he was nominated for a Goldman Environmental Prize. He was initially suspicious about the call, thinking that it might just be a hoax.

'€œI didn'€™t believe it because I didn'€™t apply for any kind of award. A few days later, I received a confidential email from them, but I still didn'€™t think it was genuine,'€ he told The Jakarta Post over the phone from Washington DC.

He finally believed it was for real after he got in touch with them and after Erna Witoelar, former settlement and regional infrastructure minister and former UN special ambassador for Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) in Asia-Pacific, spoke to him personally about his nomination.

Rudi'€™s work in dismantling illegal palm oil plantations that cause major deforestation in northern Sumatra'€™s Leuser Ecosystem Conservation Area has been acknowledged by the jury and deemed worthy of the Goldman Prize.

The Prize recognizes individuals from Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment.

Rudi flew to the United States to attend the ceremony on April 28 in San Francisco and participated in a 10-day tour of the US together with the other recipients from South Africa, India, Russia, US and Peru.

Each winner receives US$175,000 cash prize.

'€œThe prize means a lot to me '€” it becomes an encouragement for me and my friends to continue our fight to protect Leuser,'€ he said.

He said he would use the money to finance activities of the Leuser Conservation Forum where he and his team continue to work to dismantle thousands of hectares of illegal oil palm plantations and protect the wildlife in Leuser.

'€œThe forum was established after Leuser Ecosystem Management Agency [BPKEL] where I used to work was terminated by the Aceh governor in 2012 and led to the rampant rise of illegal plantations in Leuser,'€ Rudi said. His passion to protect the environment began when he was a teenager.

Rudi was born in Aceh Tamiang regency, which was prone to flooding due to widespread practices that have caused deforestation. As a little boy, he used to be happy when the floods hit because he and his friends did not have to go to school.

But when he was in high school, he started to realize that the impact of flooding was very destructive. '€œIt not only damaged the house, economic activity was also disrupted. I wanted to help, but I didn'€™t know how,'€ the 37-year-old said.

He then studied biological conservation at Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh and fell in love with the Sumatran rhino, the smallest '€” and the most critically endangered '€” member of the rhinoceros family.

'€œIt was the start of my dedication to conserve nature,'€ said the holder of a Master'€™s degree in conservation and biodiversity from the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB).

He became an expert researcher who led rhino protection teams on field expeditions to track down poachers in Leuser'€™s protected forest, which is home to the Sumatran rhino.

In addition to anti-poaching efforts, Rudi realized that his work could not be complete without addressing a much larger threat rapidly outpacing conservation: habitat destruction from illegal oil palm plantations.

Not only for the rhino, the protected forest is also vital to 4 million people around the area who rely on it for sustainable agriculture and water as well as for protection from flooding.

'€œForests are very important. We won'€™t have adequate water sources, and Indonesia will also become a disaster-prone country if we lose the forests,'€ he said. Rudi added that there was no forest in Indonesia that was free from deforestation. '€œDeforestation is one of the most important environmental issues in Indonesia that needs more serious attention from the government,'€ Rudi said.

'€œThe government and many people have yet to prioritize sustainable economic development that is focused on the environment. They must understand that the loss of resources in the forests will also impact people'€™s welfare,'€ he said. Understanding the importance of forests, Rudi approached Aceh police to enforce land protection laws and shut down illegal oil palm plantations. Moreover, he also talked directly to palm oil plantation owners, telling them that their activities were against the law and asking them to stop. '€œThey didn'€™t want to do it initially, but after several discussions, they agreed to stop it and hand over their land to be restored,'€ he said.

Rudi has been able to dismantle over 485 hectares of illegal plantations in Leuser, recreating corridors for elephants, tigers and orangutans and successfully increasing the population of Sumatran rhino. He is currently fighting a proposal from the Aceh administration that will legally open up large tracts of forested areas in the Leuser Ecosystem to oil palm development.

He garnered 1.4 million signatures in an online petition he organized in 2013 to apply international pressure on the Indonesia government to enforce its own conservation laws and reject the Aceh administration'€™s proposal.

The issue has also become the topic of international conversation efforts between government officials from Norway, the European Union, Indonesia and Aceh province.

'€œThis is my contribution to Aceh. My job may not be financially attractive and is tiring, but what is the point of having a lot of money if we don'€™t protect the environment? Man-made disasters will eventually harm us.'€ Rudi said. Read : http://www.thejakartapost.com/