Gresik, East Java. Indonesian authorities have seized more than 4,600 cubic meters of timber linked to an alleged illegal logging operation that caused widespread forest destruction in the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, officials said Tuesday.

The timber, valued at an estimated Rp 230 billion ($13.9 million), was confiscated from a barge owned by Berkah Rimba Nusantara at Gresik Port. The seizure followed months of investigation into logging networks suspected of transporting timber from Padang and Mentawai to East Java.

Febrie Adriansyah, head of the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force and Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes, said the operation revealed significant ecological damage.

“The preliminary loss is estimated at Rp 230 billion. We will also calculate the environmental damage caused by this activity,” Febrie said.

Investigators found that the logging activity had cleared about 730 hectares of forest in the Mentawai Islands.

“If this continues unchecked, forests in the area will disappear -- large trees take about 50 years to grow,” Febrie warned.

The task force has not yet named any suspects, but Febrie confirmed that the ongoing investigation will determine who was involved. The operation, launched in July, is part of a broader national effort to curb illegal logging and safeguard protected forests.

Company Denies Wrongdoing
Berkah Rimba Nusantara, the company whose barge and timber were seized, has denied the allegations, saying its operations in the Mentawai Islands are fully licensed.

In a statement issued on July 26, Berkah Rimba Nusantara said it possessed valid government permits for its wood-processing business in the Mentawai Islands and rejected claims of forest encroachment.

Company Director Ichsan Marsal told Minangkabau News that the timber on board the confiscated barge had been legally sourced from local landowners.

“The company manages timber owned by local communities according to proper procedures and under valid government permits for forest utilization,” Ichsan said. “Our operations are not illegal. Everything we do complies with official regulations.”

According to the Forestry Ministry, Indonesia retained 95.5 million hectares of forest cover in 2024, accounting for 51.1 percent of total land area. However, deforestation reached 216,200 hectares last year, while reforestation efforts covered only 40,800 hectares.

Most of the country’s remaining forests are located in Papua (32 percent), Kalimantan (30 percent), Sumatra (15 percent), and Sulawesi (10 percent) -- regions under increasing pressure from illegal logging, plantations, and mining.