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Paradise Forests of Asia Pacific | |
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-- crew biography --
Hi, I am Rama. I am an activist working in Forest Watch Indonesia-Java Node (http://fwi.or.id), and also in an NGO ARuPA (http://arupa.or.id). This is my first time sailing with Rainbow Warrior. This will also be my longest time at sea. How did I get involved in this trip? My 'boss' rang and asked me whether I have passport. I said yes. "So," he said, "pack your things, and go to Tanjung Priok Port where Rainbow Warrior will take you sailing for - more or less - 2 weeks. Other detail will be provided on 'need to know basis'" "What?" I got only 18 hours of preparation, I was in my office in Yogyakarta, where I was wrapping-up banners, costumes, and other properties after a protest rally (if you visit FWI's website, you'll see picture of a dead man with a tombstone: that's me!), not to mention, it took 12 hours to reach Rainbow Warrior from my town with train. A slo-mo train. On ordinary days, before that phone call, the way I spend most of my time, I do forest monitoring, investigation, data management; and also doing some advocacy and campaigning; including filmmaking.. Both ARuPA and FWI-Java Node specializing in 'spying' forest quality and its management on Java Island. Though not everything, I know many things about forest on Java. I know many numbers, which could tell you a story about forest on Java. For example: 120,000,000: is the population of Java Island. 20,000,000: is the population of villagers living in the vicinity of the forest. 70: is the percentage of people in Java making a living as farmers. 35: is the percentage of unemployment in forest villages, most of them young. 0.25: in hectares--is the average size of a Javanese farmer's land. 200,000: is the amount of average annual forest degradation on Java Island in hectares. 1,100,000: is the number of trees, stolen from state owned production forest annually. Most of them are old teak trees. 700,000: is the number of 'professional' illegal loggers on Java Island. 25: in USD--is the average of monthly 'salary' of an illegal logger. 33: in USD--is the government-imposed monthly minimum standard wage. 0.1: (in hectares) is the amount of forest which we could save from destruction if we send an illegal logger to prison for 4 months. 114,000: (in hectares) is the amount of forest which we could save from destruction by sending a corrupt official to prison for 10 years. 12: the number of villagers in the past five years - suspected of stealing a tree from the state forest - shot or tortured to death, without even a trial. 0: number of corrupt official or illegal-timber barons of Java sent to prison in the past five years. 07/12/05: is July 12th 2005, the day the last tree on Java island will be cut down at the current rate of logging. 28: is the number of people onboard the Rainbow Warrior right now. I hope these guys will make all my other numbers go wrong. |
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