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The Indigenous village of Pikin Poika in the district of Wanica has detected illegal logging in their residential and living environment, reports the Association of Indigenous Village Heads in Suriname (VIDS). Village head Joan van der Bosch informs her that two weeks ago she was informed by a basya that people were cutting wood close to the residential core of the village. Later it turned out to be a man and his wife from the village of Santigron, which borders Pikin Poika.
They indicated that they needed wood to build their house. Because it then concerned one tree trunk, the village chief Van der Bosch looked down on the fingers. “I made it clear to them that they should no longer cut trees, because they are in the territory of Pikin Poika. People would stick to that,” says Van der Bosch.
The next day, the village chief was again alarmed by the basya that trees were being cut again in the same area. It turned out to be the same people and Van der Bosch and the basya found 26 tree trunks on the ground. At the request of the village chief, foresters from the Forestry and Forestry Supervision Foundation (SBB) visited the site.
According to SBB, the area has not been issued in concession, but is free domain land. “We from the village have decided that the tree trunks are left there, because they belong to Pikin Poika,” says Van der Bosch. She informed the traditional authorities of Santigron of what had happened and was promised that the people would be called to order.
Despite this commitment, the illegal activities continued. Last Wednesday, villagers of Pikin Poika spotted an excavator and a timber truck that would transport the logs elsewhere. Van der Bosch, who was not in the village at the time, immediately made contact with the police and SBB.
However, no action has yet been taken against these illegal practices and some of the construction logs have been removed from the forest. The village chief went to Santigron that same day and spoke to a captain of the village. “He told me that the people (husband and wife) of Santigron have been approached. I was advised to settle the matter with the police,” says Van der Bosch.
She points out that the Pikin Poika Creek is the traditional boundary between the two villages. The communities have agreed that villagers will not just enter each other’s areas.
Iflaw Hasselnook, deputy director of forest management, says he is aware of the matter. The SBB has visited Pikin Poika after the problem was made known by the village chief. “We did not find the people who were involved in the wood activities. The captain told us that the logs should not be removed, because they belong to the village and because of this the matter was settled for us,” says Hasselnook. Since the wood would be used by the village, SBB did not confiscate the logs.
Hasselnook goes on to say that he was called again on Wednesday by the village chief and she told him that the people wanted to remove the logs. He recommended that she inform the police of the crime. He also pointed out to her that the logs are on domain ground and they do not belong to the captain or the village. “By law, all trees are state property,” says Hasselnook. After consultation with the police, he told Van der Bosch to get in touch with district commissioner Shafiek Goelaman of Wanica South-East, because he is the highest authority in the district.
Van der Bosch again points out how important it is that collective land rights are legally recognized in order to prevent land issues with others. She calls on the government to speed up this process. “Outsiders can’t just stay in our areas to develop activities,” said the village head.
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