1. Cause Explanation
- Population increase was due to resettlement programme to
move people from Java and Sumatra to Kalimantan.
- New settlers with small holdings clear land to grow crops
for sale. Motivated by profit, these settlers clear more forests
Increase in demand for agricultural landuse to extend their farmland.
- Plantation companies demand land esp for oil palm
plantations. Being relatively cheap and highly profitable,
these companies burn much land to grow their plantations.
- Urbanisation (growth and expansion of towns/cities) brings
about an increase in population and demand for land for
housing because opportunities for employment are pull
Growth of settlements factors.
- Example: The growth of Balikpapan, a city in E
Kalimantan, caused the size of the adjacent Sungei Wain TRF
to decrease from 98.7km2 in 1997 to 35km2 in 1998.
- Transport networks (eg. roads and railway tracks) link
settlements in Kalimantan. They require forest land to be
cleared so that the roads or tracks can be built.
Improved transport networks
- Example: Trans-Kalimantan Highway built to link
Balikpapan and Banjarmasin but they had to clear the
forested area to build it.
- TRFs are cleared to support industrial activities. Being rich
in natural resources such as wood and minerals, demand for
such has increased, leading to more clearing of forests.
- Heavy logging is a result of the rapid rate of which wood is
Growth of industries processed and exported. Timber companies speed up the pace
of logging and it is worsened by illegal logging.
- Minerals (eg. gold, silver) extracted to mining where
forests are cleared of their vegetation before dug to extract
the ores.
- Forest fires are deliberately set by plantation companies to
Forest fires clear the land for their plantations. Being cheap and relatively
quick, there is no need to hire labourers to clear the forest.

2. Problem Explanation
- The biomass (combined weight of all organisms
in kcal) is the highest in TRF.
- Deforestation in Kalimantan causes the Earth’s
biomass to decrease.
- Reduction of biomass reduces the ability of the
TRFs to support biodiversity. When plants are
Loss in biomass removed, animals higher up the food chain may
die.
- Reduction of biomass also reduces the amount of
nutrients in the ecosystem that supports the plants.
O (biomass)  o (leaf litter) O (soil)
*Amount of nutrients in leaf litter is less as rapid
decomposition of leaf litter releases nutrients into soil.
- Due to deforestation, the biodiversity in
Loss in biodiversity Kalimantan TRF is reduced, which leads to
extinction of species as habitats are destroyed.
- Removal of vegetation reduces amount of leaf
litter and reduces the amount of nutrients in the
soil (affects nutrient cycle)
Changes in nutrient cycle
- Soil leaching occurs as there are no roots, soil
becomes infertile and soon cannot support
vegetation growth.
- REFER TO CHAPTER 10.
- Example: Floods occurred in 2001 in E
Changes in quantity of water
Kalimantan cities of Samarinda and Balikpapan
located near logged Taman Nasional Kutai.
Changes in quality of water - REFER TO CHAPTER 10.
- When trees are burnt, dust and smoke released
into the air are suspended in the air causing haze.
- Strong winds blow smoke and dust to neighbour-
ing countries, Singapore and Malaysia.
Air pollution
- Causes eye, nose and throat irritations, coughs,
headaches and lung infections. Example: Flights
cancelled due to poor visibility in 1997-98, tourism
affected.

3. Policy Description + - Example
In afforestation, trees Teak trees can Not possible to Replanting has
are planted in areas restore forests restore large covered only
that were not quickly as they areas of Kali- 90,000km2 while
originally covered take 5 years to mantan because the area reduced
with forests. Usually mature as rate of clearing is by deforestation
carried out in compared to 20 higher than rate is 250,000km2 in
abandoned farmland. years for a TRF of replanting. 2000-01.
tree. This slow rate is
In reforestation, trees
Afforestion and due to the
are planted in areas Teak is also a
reforestation inattractiveness
that were formerly commercially of these projects.
forested. valued tree that
can grow in TRFs. Original
biodiversity is
lost as only teak
is planted and it
can only support
certain flora and
fauna.
Ministry of Forestry Enables forest to Difficult to
(MOF) introduced regenerate, new monitor logging
laws to ensure trees able to rep- and detect illegal
careful logging. lace old trees as logging due to
Severe penalties are overcrowding at lack of man-
enforced on irresp- canopy is reduced. power and
onsible companies. remoteness of
Education and rese- Minimises soil forest areas,
erosion as
arch programmes leading to more
compared to clear
Controlled logging carried out to ensure forests cut down. --------
cutting as there
that they are
are more trees and Selective cutting
informed of the
more roots to hold is as damaging
damage.
the soil together. as clear cutting.
Selective cutting Neighbouring
ensures that only trees are pulled
commercially valued down when trees
trees are cut down are connected via
leaving other trees lianas.
behind.
Betung Kerihun
Nature reserves Many species of Illegal logging Nature Reserve is
where activities that flora and fauna still goes undet- largest NR. Home
do not damage the are protected as ected due to lack to a diverse range
TRF (eg ecotourism) their habitats are of manpower and of animals (eg.
Conservation are allowed and not destroyed. size of area acc orang utans). It
encouraged. to ‘Treasure increases the prot-
Island at Risk’ ected areas and
report in 2005. manages the
reserve sustain-
ably.

4. Government bans Slight decrease in Haze continues
use of fires to clear amount of hot- to occur annual-
forests. Introduced spots and forest ly in Southeast
measures to monitor fires over the Asia because
forest fires thru Inte- years. plantation
grated Forest Fires companies still
Protection System choose to burn
(1994) and National forests.
Controlling forest Fire Management
--------
fires Plan (1999). Annual Many locals are
forest fires aware- reluctant to stop
ness campaigns are burning as a way
conducted to of land clearing
discourage the locals as they are used
from using fire to to traditional
clear forests. farming methods
passed down the
generations.