News
The Prince arrives in Indonesia
2nd November 2008
The Prince of Wales began the final leg of his tour of the Far East when he arrived in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Saturday afternoon.
As a mark of respect, he went straight to the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in South East Asia. Built to commemorate Indonesian independence, the mosque was named “Istiqlal”, an Arabic word for independence.
The Prince was given a tour of the mosque by the Grand Imam, Professor KH Ali Mustafa Ya’qub. His Royal Highness met with leaders of Islamic social organisations in a discussion on the nature of Islam in Indonesia, the challenges it faces and fostering inter-faith understanding.
The highlighting of environmental issues during The Prince’s overseas tour was continued on Sunday when he visited the Harapan Forest on the island of Sumatra.
Poverty stricken Indonesian rainforest dwellers told The Prince about their plight as he visited an ambitious conservation project to safeguard their forest home.
His Royal Highness met villagers from the threatened Harapan Forest damaged by illegal logging and palm oil forestry but now being protected and regenerated by three organisations including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
The elusive Sumatran tiger, Asian elephants, loud and spectacular hornbills and almost 300 other species of bird are among the wildlife that Harapan Rainforest now protects.
The project's long term aim is to develop a tropical rainforest research centre and eco-tourism hub.
Hasan Bada, 51, a father of ten children said he struggled to feed his family. Speaking through an interpreter after chatting with The Prince he added: "We are against the roads, because when they are built people come into the area and we are pushed aside - our ancestors have lived here for centuries.
"Our community have no other money except what we make from the plants, killing animals and collecting birds so the Harapan Forest should be developed for our lives too.
"That's not happening at the moment."
The conservation groups behind the project - Burung Indonesia, the RSPB and BirdLife International - say the initiative will provide jobs for villagers with most of their rangers made up of local people.
Around 70 local people, mostly villagers and forest dwellers, have already been recruited to form patrol and survey teams. They will be trained in the skills needed for forest survey and protection.
The Prince of Wales was shown around the Harapan Rainforest's base camp by its executive director Sean Marron.
They walked through a small area around the camp and saw staff planting saplings, a clearing where a range of indigenous plants had been reintroduced and some of the fruit produced by the forest.
A recent law, which Burung Indonesia, the RSPB and BirdLife International groups helped develop, has allowed conservationists to acquire the management rights to the southern half of Harapan - they also oversee limited work in the northern section.
The Prince later chatted to local children, with the help of an interpreter, and Mr Bada and his fellow villagers who told The Prince they hoped the project would benefit them as well.
Graham Wynne, the RSPB's chief executive, speaking from London, said: "Work to restore Harapan Rainforest will take decades because much of it has been badly damaged by logging.
"Nearly half the commercial forests in Indonesia are no longer managed which means far more rainforests could be used for environmental benefit.
"The support of the Indonesian Government has created huge opportunities."