Story
April 20, 2022
Six Mentawai Endemic Primates Increasingly Threatened, the Regent Calls Cipta Kerja Law (bahasa Indonesia)
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Mentawai Indigenous people are struggling to defend their last forest in North Pagai Island, West...
This story excerpt was translated from bahasa Indonesia. To read the original story in full, visit Tempo. You may also view the original story on the Rainforest Journalism Fund website here. Our website is available in English, Spanish, bahasa Indonesia, French, and Portuguese.
Tempo.co, Padang — Six endemic primates in Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, are increasingly threatened by the recent issuance of a local government’s permit for logging. The six primates are Bokkoi Pagai (Macaca pagensis), Bokkoi Siberut (Macaca siberu), Joja Pagai (Presbytis petenziani), Joja Siberut (Presbytis siberu), Bilou (Hylobates klossii), and Simakobu (Simias concolor).
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The six are currently included in the IUCN Red List. In the IUCN Red List, Bokkoi Pagai, Joja Pagai, and Simakobu are classified as critically endangered. Bokkoi Siberut, Joja Siberut, and Bilou are endangered.
One of the most recent logging permits is in the forest area of Silabu Village on Pagai Utara Island, one of the four major islands in Mentawai Islands. When Tempo visited the location in mid-March 2022, the sound of heavy equipment blared through the forest. There was a “crack" sound every time a tree fell, sending birds flying into the sky.
