Protected forests under threat

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: More than 1.6 million hectares of forest in East Kalimantan remain under immediate threat despite being declared a conservation area.

The provincial conservation and natural resources office's head, Ade H. Rahmat, said yesterday the biggest threat was illegal logging.

He said loggers continued to evade patrols and ignore the environmental consequences of their illegal activities in the province's nine national parks.

Antara reported that the Kutai National Park had shrunk to half its original size because of the logging.

Only 37 officers have been assigned to protect the 1.6 million hectares of protected forests in East Kalimantan. An ideal number has been put at 290.