As the world's forests disappear at an alarming rate and their multifarious species are lost like beads unthreading from a broken string, we lately take humble conscience of our guardianship, as khalifah di muka bumi1. We also take proud conscience of the bounty and variety of all that is within our guardianship, which is so great that no man can know all that is therein. We, therefore, resolve with solemnity to preserve the majesty of that part of Allah's creation that falls to our guardianship, that we may acquire wisdom and prosper in harmony with His creation of which we are a part. In so doing we may faithfully bequeath intact to our children and the generations to come a priceless heritage, authentic testimony to millions of years of the natural history and development of our land for Allah’s pleasure and humanity’s continued benefit and pride, that we may be reminded of the Garden of Man’s original home in this world and the Garden of the next. ALAF ASLI2 This is the Era of the Earth. Man’s history is catching up with him. He has failed to oversee his land with wisdom and has become a tyrant over it. Over the past two centuries of the industrial era man has waged a virtual war on the natural order with an ever increasing arsenal of weapons. In so doing he has been forgetful of his own primordial state and his responsibility as Vice-regent of the earth, Khalifah. Man’s nature is to forget. His vision is short sighted. He has forgotten to do his work as if he will live a thousand years. Therefore, we resolve to defend those parts of virgin forest that remain to us and conserve them as a heritage and witness of millions of years of man’s primordial history. We further resolve to conserve these priceless tracts of land in the same pristine condition as we have found them that they may live another thousand years. We also resolve to watch over the water resources within these areas, be they springs, rivers or lakes, jealously guarding their purity unsullied by human intrusion in any way whatsoever. We regard this as a duty in the face of the Almighty, a sacred task and a noble service to mankind and the Earth itself. Our defense of the land must be with strength and wisdom. Our watching over the water must be unwavering and constant. Our regard for the land and of unique sites of natural splendor and biodiversity will be with the respect which it deserves for its unassailable sovereignty and majesty. Man’s industrial activities over the past centuries have laid waste to the natural order in such a way that the world can be described nowadays as being out of balance. Modern man’s very life style in the industrial age has further distanced him from direct contact with Nature and the primordial elements of life, for which he has lost touch and respect. This has lessened his capabilities of assessing the damage and knowing how to repair the imbalance. In thus forgetting God’s creation, of which he is a part, man loses his way to know himself and his Creator. We find indications in the Qur’an and the sacred texts of Islam concerning the intrinsic balance of Allah’s creation and guidance on how to correct the imbalance. In his undivided quest for prosperity and the things of this world, man has reduced the diversity of Nature’s bounties to the status of mere commodities to be exploited, bought, sold and consumed. The value of these commodities has become no more than that obtained in the market place, dictated by supply and demand, and reflected in monetary terms. When a commodity is temporarily plentiful, its exploitation and consumption is correspondingly extravagant, wasteful and thoughtless while the commodity is relatively cheap in price, even though we may be dealing with something unique of infinitely intricate design and primordial purpose. When a commodity is less plentiful and rare, it is exploited even more ruthlessly for the high price it commands. This has been notably true in the exploitation, use and consumption of the world’s water and forest resources. Forest reserves are rapidly shrinking on account of the high price for hardwood on world markets. WATER Water and humans can each be described as the crowning glory of God’s creation: Man of all living creatures and Water of the inanimate world. Man was created in order to reflect his Creator. Water can be described in similar vein as being a reflection of Man. Indeed if he looks into water he can see his own image reflected in it. Water is a reflection of life itself. Without water there can be no life on earth including human life. Water can be seen thus as being a reflection of man’s destiny and survival. If water resources and rivers are polluted and dishonored, man’s intentions and destiny can also be seen as being blurred, uncertain, and tarnished. It is true to say that generally water is the most undervalued manifestation of Nature’s bounties, although the most universally used. This has nothing to do with any monetary evaluation, but is reflected in man’s respect and care of it and in its use. Without respect water will continue to be used irresponsibly to the point of exhaustion and emergency. This point is within foreseeable reach at the present time. Already many inhabited parts of the planet are deprived of sufficient water to live properly. It is time to change our attitude to and treatment of water before it is too late. Accordingly, in the desire to conserve those tracts of land which are still intact and in their original natural state together with their water resources, fauna and flora and, desiring to preserve the sanctity and purity of these places we consider them to be inviolate sanctuaries. All species are interdependent in patterns which may not be clear to us but without which, if destroyed, there will remain no way of understanding their interconnectivity. These remote and pristine places should acquire a status akin to holy places which indeed they are and will enjoy public respect and treatment in a style more appropriate to their intrinsic value. The Holy Qur’an has been preserved meticulously as originally revealed to the present day and is endowed with much ritual and respect. Although indeed many today may read the Quran without understanding either its full spiritual meaning or its application to practicalities, nevertheless the meaning, the guidance and the wisdom remain within the text intact for all to discover in this or subsequent generations. The same is true of the tropical forests, which retain much of the diversity of God's creation in their midst, the knowledge and wisdom of much of which is still unknown by humans or hidden to us. What folly it is that so much undiscovered knowledge is being destroyed by mankind in these forests. Knowledge which may well contribute to man’s very survival on the earth. Yet we are supposed to be the guardians Khalifah of the Earth. In this it must be said that we have hitherto sorely failed in our duty. Although the usefulness of modern Science with its various ecological and environmental branches and disciplines are not to be discounted in the conservation of natural sites, they alone cannot emulate nor substitute the element of sanctity which such places embody. For indeed the sacred nature of these places is essential not only for their conservation but also in repairing modern man’s severed relationship with the natural order of things and his own primordial self. Of this loss there can be no financial or material assessment. If ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it (Qur’an 14:34) Those people, whose natural habitat from time immemorial has been within these places of natural antiquity, should be treated with special respect and care for they are truly Tuan Rumah3. Indeed modern man has forgotten in whose house he is. Aboriginal or Asli peoples epitomize man’s primordial relationship with Nature. If the natural environment is destroyed and its inhabitants coerced and assimilated into the industrial society, not only they but also we are losers of an important part of our heritage and spiritual history. The orang asli still know what we have forgotten. Europeans have done themselves an inestimable wrong by the virtual and continuing genocide of those native peoples who have come in the way of their inexorable progress in the Americas, Australia and elsewhere. The destruction caused by greed and the rapacious use of the land’s resources is completed in the benign name of tourism. This destruction can never be repaired. Responsibility is Khalifa of which respect and understanding constitute the essential aspects. As with the continued survival of the forests themselves, the most valuable asset of Asli peoples is intangible and consists of their relationship with the natural order of things and their knowledge of it. Asli people represent a direct link with the tradition of Adam and the garden which is a vision/myth/tradition deeply engrained in the psycho history of all peoples of the world in one form or another.. Seen in this light modern man has much to learn from the Orang Asli’s4 relationship with his environment. We as Khalifa on earth hold ultimate responsibility for the preservation of their societies, customs, institutions and crafts as well as for their survival and overall well being as much as for the forest itself. In all spiritual traditions there exist links to the mysteries of the origins of man and the Garden. Respect for those places where Nature itself is sovereign is latent in all of the faith traditions. In modern terms one could describe this as being an identifiable component of the quality of life with a spiritual dimension. Aceh is now in a unique position to apply an enlightened and radically new approach to issues of the environment and the conservation of natural sites in harmony with its peoples. In the cyclonic flood of development and globalization, the spiritual health of people is being jeopardised and abandoned in the struggle to adapt and survive in an ever changing techno-society. The alienation which accompanies the devastation of the natural order portends further disaster for mankind on a massive scale. Climate change is but one of the symptoms. Indeed the forests will take their revenge on mankind in their absence when they have disappeared and become deserts. Aceh is doted with some of the oldest and most remarkable tropical rain forests in the world notably the Leuser Eco-system. It is especially relevant and important that the country regards these precious forest reserves with a view to preserving them effectively for the generations to come. This task should be seen as a responsibility and an example for the entire planet and for all of humanity. It will doubtless not be long when the rewards for such action will be apparent. This Achinese contribution to humanity will prove to be of inestimable historic and spiritual significance and it may well turn out that Aceh’s remaining untouched tropical forests prove to be its most precious assets. The history of the Achinese veritably strides out of the forests and Aceh’s future destiny and security may well depend on them. It is therefore our intention to put a soul into globalization by remembering and honouring the sanctity of Aceh’s natural heritage which indeed constitutes a global spiritual heritage. To do this we must put some of our inheritance off limits and out of reach of globalization itself and strive to preserve it for yet another thousand years or more. In the past Muslim Caliphs possessed legal instruments to designate such tracts of wilderness whereby they were preserved from mankind’s intrusions and meddling. It is in this spirit that the Leuser Eco-system is designated to be a Hima. Tourism is by no means the only option in the conservation of precious natural sites, endangered species and endangered people and their lifestyles. By definition tourism involves disturbing the pristine nature of a forest and its indigenous inhabitants and serves as a coercion into the money making processes of a modern economy-based society. Once this is done both the environment and its indigenous inhabitants are soon diminished and eventually destroyed. Tourism never fails to be the starting point of further and more intense development. However it must be said that the intrusion into the fringes of a forest by well intentioned individuals seeking knowledge and reconnection with Nature is preferable to the war and virtual military assault on forests wrought by those that seek timber, often annihilating entire species of flora and fauna. Such activities can rightfully be described as crimes not only against the environment but against humanity. The intrinsic value of the forest and its peoples is not to be belittled as a mere commoditized destination among so many others for the idle attention of mass tourism or as a recreation facility. Leuser is for reflection, wonderment and knowledge. Modern man needs to know that the forest still exists in all its might and primeval majesty together with its primeval fauna and flora and folk to wonder and reflect, even if he himself is no longer able to be a part of it or visit it. Was not Adam exiled from the Garden forever? The fact that living examples of the Garden still remain is an honour to mankind and a trust. As the Garden is demolished, so is man’s honour diminished, and man becomes less human. As the children of Adam in their industrial arrogance run ever further away from the natural order into the uncharted spiritual deserts, concrete jungles and virtual worlds of modernity towards an uncertain future or to their doom, they may be recalled to comfort and sanity with a reminder of the Garden. The very existence of the forest embodies a spiritual reassurance for modern man as well as a real living sanctuary for ancient man. Man has nothing to offer the forest in terms of development. The forest has been doing it since time immemorial and knows best how it should be developed. The Forest of Leuser is the result of millions of years of natural development. The appropriate and dignified role of man can be only as guardian and humble student to learn from the forest and of its secrets. To destroy it before one has learned even a fraction of what it has to teach us is a sign of wilful ignorance and total arrogance. For indeed much of what we have to learn from the forest is about ourselves and man’s own origin and destiny on earth. Crimes against the environment are indeed also crimes against humanity. The primeval tropical forest is indeed a reminder to man of time before his exile from the Garden. Without this reminder of the Garden and Adam modern man may well run more freely to his destruction. And this may well prove to be one of the mysteries of creation itself. “The forest takes its revenge in its absence when it becomes desert. So listen to the wisdom of those from the desert, for they already know.” Pollution has appeared on the land and in the sea wrought by the hands of men that Allah might give them a taste of their own deeds that they might return to their senses. (Qur’an 30:41) ● ● ● before it is too late. We only pray that our concern is not too late and that our actions are effective and acceptable to our Creator. Notes [1] Khalifah di muka bumi: (literally) stewardship of the earth [2] Alaf in Malay means a thousand years. Asli means original as in aboriginal, native, earliest, etc [3] Tuan Rumah (Malay) means host, literally master of the house. [4] Orang asli (Malay) indigenous people

The Leuser Manifesto

As the world's forests disappear at an alarming rate and their multifarious species are lost like beads unthreading from a broken string, we lately take humble conscience of our guardianship, as khalifah di muka bumi1.

We also take proud conscience of the bounty and variety of all that is within our guardianship, which is so great that no man can know all that is therein.

We, therefore, resolve with solemnity to preserve the majesty of that part of Allah's creation that falls to our guardianship, that we may acquire wisdom and prosper in harmony with His creation of which we are a part.

In so doing we may faithfully bequeath intact to our children and the generations to come a priceless heritage, authentic testimony to millions of years of the natural history and development of our land for Allah’s pleasure and humanity’s continued benefit and pride, that we may be reminded of the Garden of Man’s original home in this world and the Garden of the next.

ALAF ASLI2

This is the Era of the Earth. Man’s history is catching up with him. He has failed to oversee his land with wisdom and has become a tyrant over it. Over the past two centuries of the industrial era man has waged a virtual war on the natural order with an ever increasing arsenal of weapons. In so doing he has been forgetful of his own primordial state and his responsibility as Vice-regent of the earth, Khalifah. Man’s nature is to forget. His vision is short sighted. He has forgotten to do his work as if he will live a thousand years. Therefore, we resolve to defend those parts of virgin forest that remain to us and conserve them as a heritage and witness of millions of years of man’s primordial history. We further resolve to conserve these priceless tracts of land in the same pristine condition as we have found them that they may live another thousand years.

We also resolve to watch over the water resources within these areas, be they springs, rivers or lakes, jealously guarding their purity unsullied by human intrusion in any way whatsoever.

We regard this as a duty in the face of the Almighty, a sacred task and a noble service to mankind and the Earth itself. Our defense of the land must be with strength and wisdom. Our watching over the water must be unwavering and constant. Our regard for the land and of unique sites of natural splendor and biodiversity will be with the respect which it deserves for its unassailable sovereignty and majesty.

Man’s industrial activities over the past centuries have laid waste to the natural order in such a way that the world can be described nowadays as being out of balance. Modern man’s very life style in the industrial age has further distanced him from direct contact with Nature and the primordial elements of life, for which he has lost touch and respect. This has lessened his capabilities of assessing the damage and knowing how to repair the imbalance. In thus forgetting God’s creation, of which he is a part, man loses his way to know himself and his Creator. We find indications in the Qur’an and the sacred texts of Islam concerning the intrinsic balance of Allah’s creation and guidance on how to correct the imbalance.

In his undivided quest for prosperity and the things of this world, man has reduced the diversity of Nature’s bounties to the status of mere commodities to be exploited, bought, sold and consumed. The value of these commodities has become no more than that obtained in the market place, dictated by supply and demand, and reflected in monetary terms. When a commodity is temporarily plentiful, its exploitation and consumption is correspondingly extravagant, wasteful and thoughtless while the commodity is relatively cheap in price, even though we may be dealing with something unique of infinitely intricate design and primordial purpose. When a commodity is less plentiful and rare, it is exploited even more ruthlessly for the high price it commands. This has been notably true in the exploitation, use and consumption of the world’s water and forest resources. Forest reserves are rapidly shrinking on account of the high price for hardwood on world markets.

WATER

Water and humans can each be described as the crowning glory of God’s creation: Man of all living creatures and Water of the inanimate world. Man was created in order to reflect his Creator. Water can be described in similar vein as being a reflection of Man. Indeed if he looks into water he can see his own image reflected in it. Water is a reflection of life itself. Without water there can be no life on earth including human life. Water can be seen thus as being a reflection of man’s destiny and survival. If water resources and rivers are polluted and dishonored, man’s intentions and destiny can also be seen as being blurred, uncertain, and tarnished.

It is true to say that generally water is the most undervalued manifestation of Nature’s bounties, although the most universally used. This has nothing to do with any monetary evaluation, but is reflected in man’s respect and care of it and in its use. Without respect water will continue to be used irresponsibly to the point of exhaustion and emergency. This point is within foreseeable reach at the present time. Already many inhabited parts of the planet are deprived of sufficient water to live properly. It is time to change our attitude to and treatment of water before it is too late.

Accordingly, in the desire to conserve those tracts of land which are still intact and in their original natural state together with their water resources, fauna and flora and, desiring to preserve the sanctity and purity of these places we consider them to be inviolate sanctuaries. All species are interdependent in patterns which may not be clear to us but without which, if destroyed, there will remain no way of understanding their interconnectivity. These remote and pristine places should acquire a status akin to holy places which indeed they are and will enjoy public respect and treatment in a style more appropriate to their intrinsic value. The Holy Qur’an has been preserved meticulously as originally revealed to the present day and is endowed with much ritual and respect. Although indeed many today may read the Quran without understanding either its full spiritual meaning or its application to practicalities, nevertheless the meaning, the guidance and the wisdom remain within the text intact for all to discover in this or subsequent generations. The same is true of the tropical forests, which retain much of the diversity of God's creation in their midst, the knowledge and wisdom of much of which is still unknown by humans or hidden to us. What folly it is that so much undiscovered knowledge is being destroyed by mankind in these forests. Knowledge which may well contribute to man’s very survival on the earth. Yet we are supposed to be the guardians Khalifah of the Earth. In this it must be said that we have hitherto sorely failed in our duty.

Although the usefulness of modern Science with its various ecological and environmental branches and disciplines are not to be discounted in the conservation of natural sites, they alone cannot emulate nor substitute the element of sanctity which such places embody. For indeed the sacred nature of these places is essential not only for their conservation but also in repairing modern man’s severed relationship with the natural order of things and his own primordial self. Of this loss there can be no financial or material assessment.

If ye would count the bounty of Allah ye cannot reckon it (Qur’an 14:34)

Those people, whose natural habitat from time immemorial has been within these places of natural antiquity, should be treated with special respect and care for they are truly Tuan Rumah3. Indeed modern man has forgotten in whose house he is. Aboriginal or Asli peoples epitomize man’s primordial relationship with Nature. If the natural environment is destroyed and its inhabitants coerced and assimilated into the industrial society, not only they but also we are losers of an important part of our heritage and spiritual history. The orang asli still know what we have forgotten.

Europeans have done themselves an inestimable wrong by the virtual and continuing genocide of those native peoples who have come in the way of their inexorable progress in the Americas, Australia and elsewhere. The destruction caused by greed and the rapacious use of the land’s resources is completed in the benign name of tourism. This destruction can never be repaired.

Responsibility is Khalifa of which respect and understanding constitute the essential aspects. As with the continued survival of the forests themselves, the most valuable asset of Asli peoples is intangible and consists of their relationship with the natural order of things and their knowledge of it. Asli people represent a direct link with the tradition of Adam and the garden which is a vision/myth/tradition deeply engrained in the psycho history of all peoples of the world in one form or another.. Seen in this light modern man has much to learn from the Orang Asli’s4 relationship with his environment. We as Khalifa on earth hold ultimate responsibility for the preservation of their societies, customs, institutions and crafts as well as for their survival and overall well being as much as for the forest itself. In all spiritual traditions there exist links to the mysteries of the origins of man and the Garden. Respect for those places where Nature itself is sovereign is latent in all of the faith traditions. In modern terms one could describe this as being an identifiable component of the quality of life with a spiritual dimension.

Aceh is now in a unique position to apply an enlightened and radically new approach to issues of the environment and the conservation of natural sites in harmony with its peoples. In the cyclonic flood of development and globalization, the spiritual health of people is being jeopardised and abandoned in the struggle to adapt and survive in an ever changing techno-society. The alienation which accompanies the devastation of the natural order portends further disaster for mankind on a massive scale. Climate change is but one of the symptoms. Indeed the forests will take their revenge on mankind in their absence when they have disappeared and become deserts.

Aceh is doted with some of the oldest and most remarkable tropical rain forests in the world notably the Leuser Eco-system. It is especially relevant and important that the country regards these precious forest reserves with a view to preserving them effectively for the generations to come. This task should be seen as a responsibility and an example for the entire planet and for all of humanity. It will doubtless not be long when the rewards for such action will be apparent. This Achinese contribution to humanity will prove to be of inestimable historic and spiritual significance and it may well turn out that Aceh’s remaining untouched tropical forests prove to be its most precious assets. The history of the Achinese veritably strides out of the forests and Aceh’s future destiny and security may well depend on them.

It is therefore our intention to put a soul into globalization by remembering and honouring the sanctity of Aceh’s natural heritage which indeed constitutes a global spiritual heritage. To do this we must put some of our inheritance off limits and out of reach of globalization itself and strive to preserve it for yet another thousand years or more. In the past Muslim Caliphs possessed legal instruments to designate such tracts of wilderness whereby they were preserved from mankind’s intrusions and meddling. It is in this spirit that the Leuser Eco-system is designated to be a Hima.

Tourism is by no means the only option in the conservation of precious natural sites, endangered species and endangered people and their lifestyles. By definition tourism involves disturbing the pristine nature of a forest and its indigenous inhabitants and serves as a coercion into the money making processes of a modern economy-based society. Once this is done both the environment and its indigenous inhabitants are soon diminished and eventually destroyed. Tourism never fails to be the starting point of further and more intense development. However it must be said that the intrusion into the fringes of a forest by well intentioned individuals seeking knowledge and reconnection with Nature is preferable to the war and virtual military assault on forests wrought by those that seek timber, often annihilating entire species of flora and fauna. Such activities can rightfully be described as crimes not only against the environment but against humanity.

The intrinsic value of the forest and its peoples is not to be belittled as a mere commoditized destination among so many others for the idle attention of mass tourism or as a recreation facility. Leuser is for reflection, wonderment and knowledge. Modern man needs to know that the forest still exists in all its might and primeval majesty together with its primeval fauna and flora and folk to wonder and reflect, even if he himself is no longer able to be a part of it or visit it. Was not Adam exiled from the Garden forever? The fact that living examples of the Garden still remain is an honour to mankind and a trust. As the Garden is demolished, so is man’s honour diminished, and man becomes less human.

As the children of Adam in their industrial arrogance run ever further away from the natural order into the uncharted spiritual deserts, concrete jungles and virtual worlds of modernity towards an uncertain future or to their doom, they may be recalled to comfort and sanity with a reminder of the Garden. The very existence of the forest embodies a spiritual reassurance for modern man as well as a real living sanctuary for ancient man.

Man has nothing to offer the forest in terms of development. The forest has been doing it since time immemorial and knows best how it should be developed. The Forest of Leuser is the result of millions of years of natural development. The appropriate and dignified role of man can be only as guardian and humble student to learn from the forest and of its secrets. To destroy it before one has learned even a fraction of what it has to teach us is a sign of wilful ignorance and total arrogance. For indeed much of what we have to learn from the forest is about ourselves and man’s own origin and destiny on earth. Crimes against the environment are indeed also crimes against humanity.

The primeval tropical forest is indeed a reminder to man of time before his exile from the Garden. Without this reminder of the Garden and Adam modern man may well run more freely to his destruction. And this may well prove to be one of the mysteries of creation itself. “The forest takes its revenge in its absence when it becomes desert. So listen to the wisdom of those from the desert, for they already know.”

Pollution has appeared on the land and in the sea wrought by the hands of men that Allah might give them a taste of their own deeds that they might return to their senses. (Qur’an 30:41)

● ● ● before it is too late. We only pray that our concern is not too late and that our actions are effective and acceptable to our Creator.

Notes

[1] Khalifah di muka bumi: (literally) stewardship of the earth

[2] Alaf in Malay means a thousand years. Asli means original as in aboriginal, native, earliest, etc

[3] Tuan Rumah (Malay) means host, literally master of the house.

[4] Orang asli (Malay) indigenous people

Rainforests produce about 40% of Earth’s oxygen.

About a quarter of all the medecines we use come from rainforest plants.

Less than 1% of tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists for their active con-stituents, medicinal properties or possible use.

A tropical forest has more species of trees than any other area in the world

The rainforests of S.E.Asia are the oldest consistent forests on earth, dating back to the Pleistocene period, 70 million years ago. Yet S.E. Asia is losing its forests faster than any other region in the world.

Experts estimate that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day. That equates approximately 50,000 species a year that are lost forever.

Rainforests absorb huge quantities of solar radiation, which would otherwise contribute to global warming

Deforestation of tropical forests now accounts for 18% of total global CO2 emissions.

Each of the hundreds of fig species in the forest has its own species of pollinating wasps, without which the fig trees would quickly fade into extinction and vice versa.

Links within the tropical rainforest’s ecosystem may extend to thousands of species of plants which support and are supported by multiple species of mammals, birds and insects. If a keystone species is eliminated, additional losses will be triggered and create a domino effect of extinctions.

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When a rainforest is cut down or burned the nutrients quickly disappear from the ecosystem. The soil remains fertile for only a very short time before it becomes completely barren and devoid of nutrients. Where oil palms are planted they complete the job of impoverishing the soil. The next stage is intensive fertilization .... or desertification.

One and a half acres of rainforest are lost every second through deforestation with disastrous consequences for both developing and industrial countries.