Forest Fires and Forest Policy in Indonesia's Crisis and Reform Era Provides a detailed account of the human, economic and environmental damage incurred as a result of the 1997-98 fires in Indonesia Nearly 10 million hectares were burned by the fires that swept across Indonesia in 1997 and 1998. These fires were largely fueled by plantation companies and others wanting to clear forest land as quickly and cheaply as possible. The economic damage from damage to transportation, damage to crops and timber, decline in tourism, healthcare costs and other impacts is estimated at $10 billion. As bad as the fires.....

Demand for cheap timber in consuming countries such as Italy is driving the forests of the world to destruction. Italy is a member of the UN, G8 and the European Union and has repeatedly acknowledged the scale of this problem. It has made commitments to tackle the international trade in illegally sourced wood, but so far it has failed to honour these commitments. EIA and Telapak investigations have uncovered evidence that wood from an endangered tree species illegally logged in National Parks in Indonesia continues to be traded illegally through Italy and passed on unwittingly to other countries. The European.....

in August 1999 Telapak and our partner published the The Final Cut, which revealed how the illegal logging at a commercial scale in Tanjung Puting and Leuser National Park has occurred, andwhat was aired to the billion tv viewers across Indonesia and the globe.

Tanjung Puting National Park is known as the only preserving area for the Orangutan habitat in Central Kalimantan.

Ten percent of the tropical forest in the world is located in Indonesia, and become a vital area home to unique biodiversity. Despite this fact, the systematic deforestation for the sake of profit in.....