the rapid deforestation that occurs in Kalimantan

To start of, I would like to explain what deforestation is. Deforestation is the permanent clearing and destruction of forests. Deforestation causes harm to us. As forest have been sources of food and materials. Forests have been cleared to create land for agriculture, settlement, transport and industry. When forest are depleted and destroyed, animal and plant species became endangered or extinct.

Kalimantan has been experiencing a rapid rate of deforestation for the last 25 years. In Kalimantan the deforestation rate is about 1.48 million square meters of forest lost every hour! Or 25000 square meters per minute!

The causes of Kalimantan deforestation are:

* Increase in demand for agriculture land use

The increase of demand of land for agriculture purposes means that there are more lands being cleared due to the agriculture activities. Agriculture activities involve the rearing of animals and the cultivation of crops. Indonesia government have made a population resettlement to ease the over crowding of Java and Sumatra island. Indonesians that had been resettled choose to stay in Kalimantan. This causes the increase of population in Kalimantan. New settler who stay and grow small holding of crops cleared land for cultivation. Some crops cultivated are for sale, this motivated the new settler to clear more land in order to cultivate more crops. There is also a source of demand came form plantation companies. As oil palm is very common plantation in Indonesia and it bring a high export rate to Indonesia. Lands are being cleared to grow oil palm which are cheap to grow and highly profitable.

* Growth of settlements

As population increases it leads to crowed settlements and land are being cleared for housing purposes. Lands are being cleared for the growth and expansion of town or cities which is known as the urbanization. People are moving from rural settlements to urban settlements to work due to the more opportunities of jobs in the urban settlements. This increases the population in town or cities area which causes urbanization to occurs.

* Improved transport network

Transport networks like road and railway tracks are build to link settlement and to allow access to previous remote forested areas. Improves accessibility give an easier access for people to destroy more areas of the rainforest.

* Growth in industries

As logging is one of the incomes of Indonesia. There are a lot of logging activities that is carried out in Kalimantan. Forest are cleared in order to sell timber for profit. Heavy logging occurs in Indonesia where rapid pace of wood is processed and exported. The speed up of the pace of logging is to ensure their wood processing activities is fully utilized. In Indonesia it is worsen by illegal logging. Mining also occurs in Indonesia where it is the extracting of minerals found in the ground underneath the rainforest. In Indonesia logging and mining activities must be carried out with a license.

* Forest fire.

Forest fires are fire that occurs in the forest that results in the destruction of forest and air population. Forest fire has caused destruction to more than 23750 sq km in a year. Most forest fires are deliberately se by people. This is because forest fire is the cheapest way to clear lands. Forest fires also tend to affect forests that have been cleared. Vegetation debris that re left on forest floor easily catch fire that can causes a series of forest fire.

The effects of deforestation are:

* Loss of earth biomass

Biomass is the combined weight of all organisms which is measured in term of kilo calories of stored energy. Stored energy represents the amount of food that is available on earth and hence the ability of the earth to support life. As tropical rainforest is rich in biomass the deforestation that occurs in Kalimantan has contributed to the reduction of the earth biomass. Kalimantan is rich in tropical rainforest which means that most forests that are cleared are rain forest. Kalimantan rainforest form a significant portion of the earth biomass.

* The loss of earth biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the range of plants and animals. The reduction of the earth biomass has affected the ability of rainforest to supports the biodiversity. Kalimantan rainforest is one of the reached rainforest in the earth and rival the diversity of Papua New Guinea and Amazon rainforest. The deforestation causes the decrease of the biodiversity of the rainforest which than leads to extinction of species. Kalimantan rainforest is home to 380 bird species, 10000 plant species, 3000 tress species and 2000 varieties of orchids. So, the deforestation that occurs is harming that amount of species of animal! Number of species is not the amount of animal being affected!

* Changes in the nutrients cycle

Leaf litters are dried leaves that feel to the underground layer of the tropical rainforest. Leaf decomposed and form humus due to the consistent hot temperature and high rainfall. Nutrients cycle breakdown when no decomposition occurs this is because trees have been removes or rapid surface fun off that carries away any fallen leaves, twigs and branches before they decay. The expose land are subjected to leaching – a process which by the rain carries the nutrients out of the top soil into lower layer as it move down the soil. Infertile soil is easily eroded by wind and rain.


* Change in quantity of water

As trees and plants are removed less transpiration take place and reduce the amount of cloud formation which lowers the amount of rainfall. Kalimantan deforestation has a direct impact in the amount of rainfall received which caused droughts or prolong dry seasons.

* Change in the quality of water

In area where deforestation takes place, water qualities in river are generally poor. This is caused by the soil is easily eroded and washed away easily by rain into the nearby rivers. This increases the sedimentary level. The increased sedimentary level caused water to be murky and undrinkable. It also changes the pH level by making the water acidic. This affects the aquatic lives in the rivers.

* Air pollution

Most deforestation that occurs are by burning the forest. Dust and smoke particle are exposed into the air causing air pollutions. Huge forest fire caused dust and smoke particles exposed into the air for sometimes resulting haze experienced in many area. Since 1990s it is a recurring problems due to wide spread burning of rainforest in Sumatra and Kalimantan. In several occasion strong wind blow haze to nearby country which affect other countries like Singapore and Malaysia. Haze results health problems like eye, nose, throat irritation, coughs, headache and lung infections. It also ceased the everyday activities of people and shows of tourism industry declining. Tourist will tend to stay away from the regions and slight were to stops due to the poor visibility.




Let us play our part as a nation!



“A nation exists only in the minds and heart of men. It is an idea. It is therefore more real than its courts and armies, more real than its cities, more real than you and I are, for it existed in our father and will exists in our children.” A view on the idea of nation shared by the first President of Indonesia, Achmed Sukarno, in 1956.