the future of orangutans

I am posting this article from The Jakarta Post to further  illustrated the points I made in my earlier blogs.

Can the jungle law save orangutans?
Panut Hadisiswoyo and Gunung Gea, Medan | Tue, 02/07/2012 10:52 AM
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There have probably been at least 2,800 confiscations of illegally kept orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra since the early 1970s. In the same period, millions of hectares of orangutan forest have also been destroyed for plantations and other uses, and thousands of orangutans killed, starved and burned to death in the process.

This species cleansing has occurred despite the fact that the orangutan has been legally protected in Indonesia since 1924. Quite simply, in the last 40 years the number of legal cases brought against pet keepers, traders and orangutan killers can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

There was a case in November 2006 of people shooting a Sumatran orangutan (62 times with an air rifle) that had been released at the edge of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in Jambi in October 2004. Six villagers received six-month jail sentences, but later the prison term was extended to eight months. Leuser, the orangutan in question, is now residing at a quarantine center run by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) near Medan, in North Sumatra. He still has 48 air rifle pellets in his body and is blind in both eyes due to pellets lodged there.

There were also two prosecutions in June 2010 of people trading orangutans illegally in West Kalimantan. The seller was sentenced to eight months in prison and fined Rp 1 million (US$110). The buyer received a meager one month and 15 days in prison. A third person involved managed to evade prosecution altogether.

Yet, seemingly all of a sudden, a number of legal actions in support of orangutan conservation are finally hitting the headlines.

Many people will have seen recent articles in the media concerning the brutal killing of orangutans on an oil palm plantation in East Kalimantan, where they were slaughtered en masse for a bounty paid by the Malaysian company PT Khaleda Agroprima Malindo (PT KAM). For each orangutan killed, workers were allegedly paid Rp 1 million. This is an extremely shocking and disturbing case, but it is also an open secret that such practices are commonplace on new plantations.

An article on Dec. 9, 2011 in The Jakarta Post showed how the remains of more slaughtered orangutans were found in a concession belonging to PT Sarana Titian Permata II, part of the Wilmar International group, in Central Kalimantan. But no one there has yet been arrested or charged.

While the PT KAM case has attracted media attention, very few people are aware of an ongoing trial related to orangutans in Kabanjahe, North Sumatra. It concerns Julius, a 4-year-old male Sumatran orangutan confiscated in Mardinding, Karo regency, in July 2011. Forestry police arrested a man, identified by his initial as S, who was transporting Julius and offering him for sale. Unfortunately, however, the alleged “owner” of the orangutan, identified as R, has not yet been arrested or charged.

The law relating to protected species is actually simple. Law No. 5/1990 on the Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystems states clearly that keeping, injuring, capturing, trading and transporting protected species are criminal offenses, carrying sentences up to five years in jail and a Rp 100 million fine.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Julius’ case in North Sumatra will be taken seriously by the three judges and the prosecutors. If not, and the defendant is acquitted, e.g. on some minor technicality, it really will reinforce the prevailing impression among conservationists that the Indonesian authorities, and society in general, really aren’t interested in protecting their country’s unique and exceptionally rich biodiversity.

Besides Law No. 5/1990, there are several other regulations that support orangutan conservation, which also seem to be routinely flouted and ignored. The Spatial Planning Law No. 26/2007, and its subsequent Government Regulation No. 26/2008, established the Leuser Ecosystem in northern Sumatra as a National Strategic Area for Environmental Protection. Presidential Instruction No. 11/2011 prevents the issuance of any new plantation and concession permits in primary forests and peat lands.

As the Leuser Ecosystem is home to around 80 percent of all the remaining Sumatran orangutans in the world, and as the peat swamps of Aceh province have the highest density of orangutans anywhere in the world, effective enforcement of these two laws alone would be an important step for orangutan conservation.

And so to another case currently making the news, in which it is claimed that a new permit issued for an oil palm plantation in the Tripa peat swamp forests on the west coast of Aceh, within the Leuser Ecosystem, is illegal, and that its issuance constitutes a criminal act or felony on the part of Aceh governor and a number of other key individuals involved in the process.

The Tripa peat swamp case actually consists of several different legal initiatives. A consortium of concerned NGOs has challenged the legality of the new permit in the Court of Civil Administration in Banda Aceh. Meanwhile, representatives of the communities living directly in Tripa, already fed up with losing their livelihoods, lands and lifestyles due to the destruction wreaked so far, have reported the governor of Aceh, who issued the permit, the company that received it, PT Kallista Alam, and a number of others at the National Police headquarters in Jakarta. They claim the issuance of the permit is a clear contravention of the National Spatial Planning law.

If these Aceh cases were to fail, the orangutan population in Tripa, recognized by the United Nations-backed Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP) as critical for the survival of the species, will continue to be devastated and ultimately be destroyed completely.

Perhaps for the first time, and long overdue, we finally seem to be seeing some clear sustained developments in law enforcement pertaining to conservation in Indonesia. But, it is probably too early to draw any solid conclusions.

Furthermore, even if convicted, the deterrent effect of these cases still depends on appropriate punishments being meted out. If sentences are too short or fines too little, it will once again bring into question the seriousness of those involved in enforcing the law in environmental and conservation cases.

THE MYTH OF HUMAN PROGRESS

Human progress has always been at the expence of other life forms.all the various collective activaties that consitute human civilization have ultimately been destructive to life on earth,advances in science and technology have been used to plunder and dominate nature .virtually every part of the planet has been polluted thousands of species have been exterminated, forests ,wet lands and reefs have been devastated . through out history civilizations that where relatively more advanced in technology have been place on a level above that of less technological cultures even though the achievements of many past civilizations were based on slavery ,war, despotism ,and untold human suffering. technological progess has also fueled human kinds collective arrogence and conceit creating a mind set that we are so exceptional and extraordinary we don’t need to adapt our behaviour to the world in which we live,but can continue to plunder and dominate indefinity. human civilization and progress has been a disaster for life on earth. But Because human morality is human centric and excludes the rights and needs of other species,we are blind to the real negitive consequences of human civilization .but what we fail to see most is how this so called progress is not in the long term interest of human beings either.by overpopulating the planet and over consuming all natural resources ,we are in the prosess of self destuction. the planet can adapt to the changes that we are making to the worlds ecology; it is humans who will not be able to adapt .this will lead to mass famine, disease, war and economic collapes.human civilization has failed because it is based on a the falsehood of human superioraty. only by living in harmony with other life forms can humans  prosper and live happy meaning full lives. our present alienated, greed and power based culture will collapes, distroying most other life forms on earth in the proses,whether in the long run humans can learn from their mistakes l dont know.if not, humans have no long term future in this world. .FOR MORE BLOGS AND ARTICALS GO TO, ONE DARYL SPRAKE COMPOSER.COM

Sumatran wildlife at risk

Here is an article from the jakarta globe to illustrate points l made in previous blogs.The unbridled destruction of Sumatra’s forests over the past 20 years is the main reason for the 44 percent decline in the Sumatran elephant population during that period, wildlife activists said on Monday.

Donny Gunaryadi, the elephant program coordinator at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Indonesia program, said the wild elephant population on the island had dropped from around 5,000 in 1992 to just 2,800 today.

“The high rate of habitat destruction, land use changes and increased threats from poaching and conflicts with humans are all factors in the decline of the population of this protected species,” he said.

Sunarto, the species conservation program coordinator at WWF Indonesia, said it was crucial to conserve the region’s remaining forests in order to ensure the survival of wildlife such as the Sumatran elephant and tiger.

“The opening up of forested areas that are of prime importance to tigers and elephants must be halted immediately,” he said. “It is also high time that land use policies for forested areas began incorporating ecological considerations to prevent human-animal conflicts.”

The activists were speaking at a workshop in Banda Aceh organized by the Indonesian Elephant Conservation Forum (FKGI), in cooperation with the WCS, WWF and Fauna-Flora International.

Participants at the event all agreed on the importance of stemming habitat loss from illegal logging and clear-cutting of forests, which also threatens other species indigenous to Sumatra.

Satellite imagery of the change in forest cover in Sumatra’s lowland areas shows that 8 million hectares were wiped out between 1990 and 2000, Sunarto said.

That, he continued, coupled with the fact that much of the natural habitat of elephants and tigers fell outside of protected areas, meant the risks to the already critically endangered species was only increasing. “That’s why I believe that the protection of the elephant and tiger’s habitat is the most important factor in saving the species,” he stressed.

“There also needs to be more stringent enforcement against the illegal clearing of forests, poaching and selling of wildlife.” In order for any elephant conservation program to prove effective, Sunarto said there needed to be an action plan and strategy supported by all stakeholders, particularly the government.

Also crucial was a push for a “win-win solution” that would boost conservation without impinging on the economic development of forest communities.

Donny said there was an urgent need to get the message across to the Forestry Ministry.

“Our hope is that conservation efforts for the Sumatran elephant will be better coordinated and managed after this workshop,” he said.

A NEW FUTURE FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC

l compose mainly in a classical style(l also compose and perform blues rock jazz and nonsense music).the reason l like to compose in a classical style is not because l beleive it is better than other styles, but because l beleive of all the major styles of music it is the least developed,and therefore has the most potential .   For the whole history of classical music there has been some institution in control ,first the church then the aristocracy then the upper classes  then the universities and conservatories and orchestras, as a result classical music has become like a bonsi tree,stunted and unable to grow.Other major styles of music have already peaked and now are in a period of decline , but now as we enter the digital age classical music can free its self from the deadening influence of institutions and reach its true potential. Towards this end l'm trying to revitalise classical music in two ways, firstly by emphazing melody and strong emotion,secondly by developing a new deeper and broader aesthetic free from the cliches and rigid intellectualism of the past.FOR MORE BLOGS ARTICALS AND MUSIC GO TO ONE DARYL SPRAKE COMPOSER.COM

THE STATE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC

Is there anyone out there that agrees with me about the appalling state of classical music and in particular orchestral music.

you only have to look at the situation in my home town of melbourne Australia. the melbourne symphony orchestra receives about 7 million dollars a year from the Australian government, in exchange the orchestra has to make a contibution to the cultural life of Australia by performing one original work by an Australian composer per year the remaining repertoire consisting of the usual museum pieces, largely from the classical and romantic periods.the orchestra also plays as a backing band for pop hacks like neil sadarka glen cambell and meatloaf.Clearly this situation is artisticaly bankrupt.and unfortunately, this is the norm.if you look at the web sites of virtualy any symphony orchestra around the world you'll see they offer almost exactly the same thing.namely ,old music(most of it overrated and over performed)old presentation(formal attire boring lighting ect).Classical music can not keep trading on its snob value the rich elites of today do'nt necessarly want to listen to classical music and the rigid formality of classical concerts put new listeners off.but the biggest problem is the repertoire, there is just not enough good orchestral music;and virtualy none from the last 100 years.symphony orchestras have cut their own throats by ignoring new music(many modern composers, by writing such boring

 self indulgent music are also to blame) ,thus forcing young composers to abandon symphonic music.

if there is'nt a conserted effort to develope a new repertoire relevant to contemporary society and emotionaly compelling(not just interesting music for people trained in complex music)the audience will continue to shrink and the time will come when most symphony orchestras will have to close. Thus artistic bankruptcy is creating the conditions for financial bankruptcy and the death of orchestral music FOR MORE BLOGS AND ARTICALS GO TO ONE DARYL SPRAKE COMPOSER .COM.

DO'NT BOTHER LEARNING HOW TO COMPOSE

What do jimi Hendrix charlie Parker john lennon john Coltrain bob Marley and duke Ellington have incommon? they where all self taught or at least not taught in insitutions,infact most of the important and infuencial musicians of modern music, where self taught, and l beleive this is one of the keys to their greatness,most people who study how to compose loose some degree of creativity because of there studies.the primory reason for this is the blocking of the subconscious creative process by rote learning.Creativity and inspiration are largely the resolt of the subconscious when we study how to make music we train the mind to think and analyse while we create this conscious dialog blocks the subconscious flow,the well trained composer is generaly full of good craftmanship but lacks spontainaty and originality,but what of the great composers most of who where well trained in composition, l beleive they would have been even better if they had less compositional training.so why do we value training, titles and degrees so much? simply because humans are materialist we value the tangible over the intangible ,yet l beleive the most important element in music( and life) is what is unknown and undefinible. creativity can not to measured out or controlled ,it just is. that is the reason for its great value to we human being who are normally burdened with to many material concerns.FOR MORE BLOGS AND ARTICALS GO TO, ONE DARYL SPRAKE COMPOSER .COM

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THE GREATEST KILLERS AND MURDERS IN HISTORY WALK FREE EVERY DAY

The greatest killers and murders in histrory are not Adolf Hitler Joseph Stalin or Gengis Khan,but those involved in the the destruction of the worlds rain forests.Over half of all life forms on planet earth live in these forests, when these forests are gone over half of all the living things on earth will be gone to.The destruction of rainforest not only exterminates whole species,it also destroys whole eco systems,and has serious consequences for the ecology of the whole planet.despite this no international systems are in place to protect the worlds rain forests,and wonton destruction and plunder of these places of greatest biodiversity continues every day.lncrediblely rain forest is still seen as a resouce even though tropical rain forest can not be replanted.and despite the fact that many of the worlds most indangered species live in these forests.

 MeanwhileThe criminals who perpetrate this mass extermination, walk free every day no international  criminal court is seeking them for crimes against life,no system of sanctions exist to punish governments of counties that destroy their rain forests,and most importantly there is no general public concern, no goverment is worried about losing power or votes over this issue. this clearly shows the utter moral bankruptcy of human beings.by placing our selves and our needs in a position above that of all other species ,we have created the basis for the destruction of all major life forms on earth including our selves, for although we have been able to bypass the laws of natural selection in our recent history, natural selection will soon become an active force in human destiny once more.and the laws of evolutuon and natural selection decrees, that species that monopolize the resouses of their environment to the exclusion of other life forms must eventually exterminate themselves.FOR MORE BLOGS AND ARTICALS GO TO, ONE DARYL SPRAKE COMPOSER.COM