Essay 2

Deforestation In Kalimantan Kalimantan is just one of the many beautiful islands of Indonesia. Kalimantan is the Indonesian part of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. It accounts for two thirds of Borneo Island. It is home to one of the largest and most beautiful rainforests in the world. The rainforests are home to many different species of wildlife and countless natural resources. Kalimantan is split into four provinces, Central, East, West, and South Kalimantan. Originally home to the Dayak, the indigenous tribes of the jungles of Borneo and Kalimantan. Now it is home to the many logging and mining companies that are destroying the rainforests and endangering the plants and animals that live there. Each province of Kalimantan is unique in it’s own special way. The rainforest covers over eighty percent of the East Province. It also has the largest river in Kalimantan, the Mahakam River. In this river you can find many species of fresh water fish and fresh water dolphin. West Kalimantan, known for its capitol, Pantianak, which situated directly on the equator. Being located where it is West Kalimantan used to be a major trading rout with easy access from Singa pore and Jakarta. This area houses many lakes, rivers, and villages and has many unexplored resources and covers an area of 146,807 square km. The Maratus Mountains divide South Kalimantan into two separate regions. The south part is made up of mostly rivers and lowlands while the east part is covered with tropical forests and mountainous terrain. This area has become one of the largest wood producers in the world because of the vast array of trees and natural resources. Finally the Central Kalimantan, the largest province consists mostly of dense jungle and covers an area of 153,800 square km. The forests of Kalimantan are home to an enormous amount of plant and animal species. But because of logging many of these species are becoming endangered. As one of the main lumber producers in the world Kalimantan is losing a lot of it’s forested area to logging and deforestation. Orangutans, proboscis monkeys, sun bears, gibbons, banteng (wild cattle), hawksbill turtles, and leaf monkeys are just a few animal species that are in danger of becoming extinct due to over deforestation and the destruction of their beautiful habitat. Luckily there are many wildlife and forest reservation areas that are working hard to put an end to the tragedies that are occurring in these forests. Many of these areas have been turned into national forests and are protected under Indonesian law. But there is still a lot of illegal logging in these areas because the local tribes or Bayak are still able to live within these natural reserves. Because of all the logging and deforestation in Kalimantan it is estimated that lowland forests have decreased by over 56 percent. That is to say that six and a half million acres are gone forever (Kalimantan at Crossroads). It has become very hard for the local people to stop the foreign logging companies from destroying their land. There have been petitions since the 1980s to put and end to foreign investment in logging and end the tragedy that is going on everyday in Kalimantan. More needs to be done to end this problem before it is too late. There are many organizations such as the Nature Conservancy that are working towards a stronger and healthier rainforest. It is important to end the corruption of the officials that oversee the logging companies and make them pay heftier fines for logging where they shouldn’t be logging. It would be a travesty to see one of the most beautiful rainforests were to be wiped off the face of the earth because people are not willing to make changes to the way

business is conducted in the rainforests of Kalimantan. It is our job as much as the logging companies that are in these areas to keep the forests growing and living like they should. This is a problem that most people in the rest of the world are not aware of. One of the smartest and most effective ways to deal with this type of problem would be to educate the world and let them know that the killing of the forests in far off lands can have a major impact on our lives here.

Works Cited "Indonesian Deforestation by World Rainforest Movement - EcoWorld." EcoWorld - The Global Environmental Community - Nature and Technology in Harmony. 19 Mar. 2009 . "Kalimantan - Indonesia's Part of Borneo Island." Travel to Indonesia, Dive Bali, Manado Diving, Komodo, Wakatobi, Lembeh and more. 19 Mar. 2009 . "Kalimantan at the Crossroads: Dipterocarp Forests and the Future of Indonesian Borneo." Conservation news and environmental science news. 19 Mar. 2009 . "The Nature Conservancy in Indonesia - East Kalimantan, with AAA." The Nature Conservancy - Protecting Nature, Preserving Life. 19 Mar. 2009 .