Kalimantan Faces Ecological Imbalance: Indonesia

There are numerous factors that can cause an ecological imbalance - pollution, illegal logging, deforestation, the introduction of a species to eradicate a pest, natural disasters, and the list goes on.

Kalimantan, a part of Borneo, has 40 million hectares of forest and is one of the last remaining living rainforests in this world. Environmental group Greenomics Indonesia said a series of disasters have further decreased forest coverage in watershed areas which could affect the ecological balance of Kalimantan.

A recent study released by the group shows average forest coverage in the island's watershed areas is less than 30 percent, the minimum area required to ensure the ecological balance of an island.

According to Greenomics director Elfian Effendi, "In 2004 the island's average forest coverage in watershed areas stood at only 20 percent, while in 2006 we predict it will decrease to 15 percent", adding the degradation would lead to further landslides and floods in Kalimantan provinces.

He blamed the conditions on rapid deforestation mainly due to unsustainable logging activity and land conversion.

"We shouldn't keep blaming high rainfall for floods and landslides because the capacity of our forests as the main pillars of ecological buffer zones is already below their tolerable limit" he said.