Lore Lindu park decimated

PALU, Central Sulawesi: More of the Lore Lindu National Park in the Central Sulawesi regency of Donggala has been destroyed, an official admitted on Friday.

Park director Amir Hamzah expressed concern over a recent finding that up to 1.5 hectares of the conservation forest in Batusalome district had been severely damaged by local people.

The locals, he said, had even built makeshift homes in the forest before district officials ordered them to leave.

"We are now intensifying our monitoring effort following the finding," Amir said.

The park occupies around 218,000 hectares between Donggala and Poso regencies. Of this figure, 4,000 hectares have been converted into farms and settlements by migrants. -- Antara