Jungle has gone<\/p>\n
I read with dismay and disappointment the letter in the Oct.
\n7, 1995 issue of The Jakarta Post about the rolling, grassy hills
\nin the area between Samarinda and Sanggata in East Kalimantan.
\nWhen I used to drive through the area in the early 1980s the
\nhillsides were covered not with scraggly grass, but with lush,
\nseemingly vibrant jungle. But loggers and slash-and-burn farmers
\nhave shown how fragile the forest really is.<\/p>\n
The letter writer may see it as a wonderful opportunity for
\nsomeone to make lots of money raising herds of zebu cattle. He
\nmay come from a country where trees are considered obstacles to
\nbe removed instead of useful and beautiful parts of an ecology.
\nHe may not be aware that the top soil in the area is extremely
\nthin and the soil underneath virtually free of nutrients. He may
\nnot be able to imagine that cattle would destroy even the grass
\nthat he finds such an opportunity, allowing the hillsides to
\nerode into the gullies.<\/p>\n
Then again, having read previous letters from the same
\ngentleman, he may not care.<\/p>\n
GARY GENTRY<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jungle-has-gone-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }