Lore Lindu park decimated

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