Protected forests razed by fire in Riau

Fire, allegedly started by reckless land clearing activities, has ravaged through two conservation forest areas in Riau. According to data from the Riau Natural Resource Conservation Center (BBKSDA), the two areas were Bungkuk conservation hill in Kampar regency and the Nature Tourism Park in Dumai city.

The Disappearing Peatlands

THE threat came from a resident of Kutablang, Darul Makmur district, Nagan Raya regency, Aceh. “I will kill the orangutans if they return and eat the shoots of my oil palm trees,” he told Suratman and other activists from environmental foundation Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL). Suratman, who assists YEL with their activities, told Tempo that the resident was irritated because some […]

Mantas named as protected species

The Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister has declared the reef manta ray (Manta alfredi) and oceanic manta ray (Manta birostris) as protected fish species as they are facing an increased threat of extinction. “In the beginning of 2014, we have decided on the protection of two manta ray species,” said Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Sharif […]

Victory at Meulaboh

The Meulaboh District Court in Aceh has upheld the lawsuit by the Environment Ministry against a palm oil company which set fire to peatlands. This is the first such win. ON Tuesday, January 8, Sudaryono was very anxious. Several times from early morning he had phoned the prosecutor and lawyer attending the sitting of the Meulaboh District Court in Aceh where a verdict was about to be handed down. […]

Earthquake in Kebumen Today Felt along Southern Coasts

An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale jolted the southern part of Central Java, to be exact 104 kilometer of southwest of Kebumen, Central Java, or 147 kilometer southwest of Yogyakarta, earlier today at 12:14 Western Indonesian Time. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNPB) spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said the quake’s epicenter was inside the […]

6.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Central Java

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has jolted the Central Java city of Kebumen and its surrounding areas. No destruction from the quake has been reported. “The tremor felt quite strong. Even some motorcycles swayed in the quake,” said Sunardi, a resident of Semondo Village, Gombong sub-district, Kebumen, Saturday, January 25, 2014.

Bekasi Flooding Gets Worse

The water dumped from Bekasi River Dam on Tuesday has caused the area to be flooded even more. As many as seven Sub districts where the water level has dropped rose again until yesterday. Head of Disaster Relief Agency for the Regency of Bekasi, Sahat Banjar Nahor, said the seven sub districts are Muaragembong, Cabangbungin, Babelan, […]

Dozens of Subang flood victims isolated

Flooding isolated at least 35 people of 10 families in Kampung Baru, Mulyasari Village, Pamanukan, Subang regency, West Java. Since yesterday, they have been evacuated to a nearby Islamic school. “We need aid, food, clothing and medical supplies,” said a resident.

Degraded waters in Nusa Tenggara Timur

According to an Aquatic Ecology lecturer from University of Muhammadiyah Kupang, the waters of East Nusa Tenggara  are degraded due to the use of fish bombs and potassium. In addition, the occurrence of excessive pelagic fishing and damage of  75% of local coral reefs and seagrass habitats resulting from activity to catch fish at low […]