Rampant illegal logging in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province will make the region a barren desert at the current rate of destruction, researchers have warned.
The province’s University of Tanjungpura estimates more than 300,000ha of forest have been lost during the past two years. If continued, it says West Kalimantan will become a desert by 2040.
The university blames locals, holders of forest concessions and fires for the deforestation. About 80% of illegal logs are smuggled to China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.
