Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

A Lampung administration plan to open a 250-hectare international hunt resort in West Lampung Regency has sparked condemnation from environmental activists who say it will affect the neighboring protected national park.

They accused the local administration of trying to legalize gambling activities on the location and poaching from the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park.

The activists say the West Lampung administration has failed to be transparent about its plans to open the resort which many sources say is financed by Jakarta-based businessman Tommy Winata who has alleged links to illegal gambling.

"This has led the public, especially non-governmental organizations, to be suspicious about the tourist project's mission that could worsen environmental deterioration in the national park as well bring suffering to locals," Bandarlampung Legal Aid Institute director Watoni Nurdin said here on Tuesday.

Watoni warned that the environmental degradation in the regency, especially inside the protected national park, has reached alarming levels and the project could bring a massive catastrophe to the park, the home to thousands of rare and protected species.

Dirman of the Lampung Forest Conservation Coalition (K2HL) opposed the hunt resort project which he said was an attempt by the West Lampung administration to legalize the rampant poaching of protected species, especially elephants for their tusks, tigers for their pelts and deer for their meat.

"The project has gained strong backing from local authorities and we have strong evidence that security authorities are involved in the poaching. We have frequently exposed it to the mass media but it has yet to draw attention from the government," he said.

Dirman said that instead of the project, it was better for the local administration to focus its attention on how to salvage the protected park and stop poaching in the forest area.

He said the project would not ignite protests and criticism from the public should the local administration give assurances that it would not endanger the ecosystem and would be good for the local people economically.

Guswarman of the Mitra Bentala Lampung (MBL) said the project would certainly affect the protected park's wildlife.

Many locals in the regency have been attacked by tigers and their farmland damaged by elephants since their habitat in the park was disturbed by poachers and illegal logging, he warned.

West Lampung Regent I Wayan Dhirpa rejected the criticism, saying the hunt resort was aimed at curbing poaching in the park and the Way Kambas National Park and improving locals' financial condition.

"The hunt-tourist resort is expected to lure domestic and foreign tourists in attempts to improve the local administration's revenue and improve the lives of the people living near the location," he said.

The local administration has gained 200 deer from the Bogor Presidential Palace for hunting and was building ten luxury cottages for tourists. "We will supply more animals for hunts and vehicles and motorcycles for tourists to travel around the large area," he said, predicting it would cost Rp 1 billion per month to maintain the resort.

He declined to comment on Tommy Winata who is reportedly financing the project but said the project was a joint enterprise between the local administration and the private sector.

Tommy was believed to be behind gambling activities aboard foreign ships around the Seribu Islands off Jakarta in 2000. Former president Abdurrahman Wahid ordered a crack down on the illegal activities.

Wayan said the tourist resort would feature targeted animals marked with certain signs.

"Tourists will not be allowed to hunt unmarked targets and protected species and those found guilty of killing protected species will be brought to court," he said