Planet Mole
Indonesia in Focus
Arafuru Sea Vulnerable to Illegal Fishing
By Barrie | 
No Comments » Large-scale illegal fishing by passing foreign trawlers is rampant in the Arafura Sea, including waters off Merauke and Mimika regencies, despite patrols, according to authorities. The 15-day Operation Gurita, conducted by the Indonesian Marine Security coordinating board, intercepted 33 foreign trawlers, seven of which were from China operating in the Arafura Sea without any sailing and fishing documents.
Walhi Raising Money for Forests
By Barrie | 2 Comments » In a bid to prevent open-pit mining in protected forests, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) is fund-raising to “rent” forests so that major mining companies cannot. The move is a response to the 2008 government regulation on non-taxable income, which allows open-pit mining in protected forests. The regulation stipulates that open-pit mining operators in protected forests only need to pay between Rp 2.25 million and Rp 3 million per hectare per year as compensation to the government.
Marine Conservation Cuts Poverty
By Barrie | No Comments » Well-managed marine conservation can significantly help reduce poverty and enhance the quality of life for local communities, according to a new study. The study, Nature’s Investment Bank, which was released by The Nature Conservancy in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Thursday, was based on more than 1,100 interviews within poor communities in four countries, including Indonesia, from November 2006 to May this year.
Lampung Finds Solution to Forest Conservation
By Barrie | No Comments » Lampung administration has developed a forest conservation area which involves residents. Since 2000, 6,537 households near Rigil hill and Tangkit Tebak forest in West Lampung municipality have taken part in the “Forest Community” program, regreening the 12-hectare forest which was damaged by illegal logging.
The REDD Project
By Barrie | No Comments » Indonesia’s much-anticipated REDD program — a pilot forest project to help tackle climate change — is set to be launched Thursday in Bali by the republic’s Forest Minister MS Kaban, but he said it was still unclear how exactly the project would work. REDD details mechanisms for incentives, loans and finance, but Kaban said no plans had been devised yet to measure a country’s contribution to reducing deforestation.
Tempe Lake Suffering: South Sulawesi
By Barrie | No Comments » Lake Tempe in South Sulawesi was once called the “fish bowl of Indonesia“. Today, as a result of chronic sedimentation caused by erosion and water plants, fishing is drying up. The sediment piles on at a rate of five centimeters per year, causing the lake to shrink away in the dry season and overflow in the wet season.
Animal Shelters Near Collapse
By Barrie | No Comments » A noted conservationist has urged the government to take over the operation of seven Animal Rescue Centers (PPS) across the country, saying they are on the brink of financial collapse. “Most of these centers can’t even generate enough money to feed the animals. Some haven’t been able to pay the salaries of their employees for quite some time,” Rosek Nursahid said at PPS Petungsewu in Malang, East Java.
Rare Local Trees get a Good Home: Bogor, West Java
By Barrie | No Comments » The Indonesian National Park Foundation together with Cibodas National Park has designated a plot of land in Cibodas for different species of trees representing areas of Jakarta. The foundation’s researcher, Holif Imamudin, who is also the former director of Bogor National Park, said the planned park was part of a conservation effort to protect trees already considered rare. The park now has 1,500 seedlings comprising 22 different tree species.
Sumbawa Horse Milk: West Nusa Tenggara
By Barrie | No Comments » The milk of wild horses has been prescribed as an effective remedy to various illnesses since the 1990s. Many people believe it cures severe illnesses such as cancer, leukemia, pneumonia, bronchitis and typhoid fever. Some maintain it enhances stamina and virility in men.
Purbalingga Reptile and Insect Park: Kutasari, Central Java
By Barrie | No Comments » Thousands of dried beetles and butterflies are arranged neatly in glass cases. There are also various kinds of dried grasshoppers and scorpions that have been placed artistically on shelves. Information about the insects is provided but visitors who want to know more can always ask the guides who will be only too happy to help.
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