Opinion Saving a tree in Indonesia By John Gathright	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
インドネシアの木を救え 森林伐採の問題が深刻化しているインドネシアで環境保全に取り組もうと森に入り込んだ筆者。現地の人の心配をよそに木の上に泊まってみたが…。

I just returned from the jungles of Indonesia and am licking my wounds and basking in the sweet memories of adventure and accomplishment. My trip started with my close friend and tree-climbing partner Nobu, sitting in the lap of luxury on a Singapore Air flight. With on-demand video, TV games at our fingertips and ice cream to tickle our taste buds, it was easy to forget our mission.

We arrived in Indonesia via Singapore. Our gluttony was soon squelched when we landed foot in our jungle village. We were greeted by stray dogs, cats, scantily-clad children and standoffish adults, all surrounding our transport van. The hot, heavy air bore down on our bodies, but the smiles of the children and their glee as we unpacked our tree-climbing gear refreshed our hearts.

Our mission was to help demonstrate to the local people that in lieu of cutting down their jungles for immediate gain, they could derive revenue and a better standard of living from selective logging and an eco-resort for well-heeled eco-tourists. Close to the fishing village was a beautiful, pristine beach with huge trees looking over a lagoon. These trees were perfect perches for small treehouses, or for tree-climbers who wanted to sleep aloft in treeboats (special hammocks for sleeping in trees).

After my passionate presentation, the village chief roared with laughter and launched into tales of "Sky Fire and Sky Drums" — lightning, storms, snakes, mosquitoes and ghosts that carry away sleeping people. The villagers considered us crazy but harmless and let us set up our camp in the treetops.

That night, we met with sky fire and sky drums that shook us out of our skins. We were then drenched in rain. The winds ripped the shrouding off our treeboats, then an army of disease-bearing mosquitos invaded through small holes found in our nets. But finally, the beauty of the sunrise brought tears to our eyes. It was better than an Imax movie.

Later that morning, we visited the chief to thank him for his hospitality. We passionately shared with him our joy at what we had experienced in the treetops. After our animated description of our night, the chief became all smiles and said, "I will give you the tree. We'll call it Tree Hotel."

In all honesty, the villagers and the chief did not believe that there were other people as crazy as us who would come and risk their lives up in the trees. Nobu and I were also very naive to think that our one trip would result in instant jungle conservation. But, all in all, the story of our treetop stay and the Tree Hotel will fill conversations for many years to come. And our Tree Hotel will stand tall and proud, waiting for more treetop visitors.

In terms of international forest-preservation efforts, our little trip may have been minuscule. But for that village and for that one tree, it was paramount. Trees fall one at a time, and I believe they can be saved one at a time.

Shukan ST: June 28, 2002

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