Gunung Palung National Park
The lowland rainforests of South East Asia are disappearing at a tragic rate but there is a small ray of hope in West Kalimantan, Indonesia (see maps below). Gunung Palung National Park contains some of the last lowland rain forest left in South East Asia and is widely considered to be the most beautiful. It is a place with incredible biodiversity including wild orangutans, sun bears, agile gibbons, proboscis monkeys, wild boars, and hundreds of rare birds species (the link above is to a recording of a gibbon duet recorded by Cam Webb in Gunung Palung National Park).
For the last three years almost no tourists or scientists have been allowed in to the Park due to rampant illegal logging. However, due to outstanding efforts on the part of the National Park Office and the local government the illegal logging has largely been stopped. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the government of Indonesia for working towards preserving this treasure. We are excited to be partnering with the local government to help provide incentives for the communities surrounding the National Park to continue to protect their natural resources. We feel strongly that this is a critical time for Gunung Palung and for the planet. If we do not protect the last of the rain forests now photos like these may be all that is left for future generations. The reprieve in illegal logging is fragile but we believe that through providing health care incentives and education we can help preserve the health of the natural environment and the long-term health of the communities surrounding the Park. We urge you to support this project and help us protect one of the last true natural treasures left on the planet before it is gone.
|
|
Photos courtesy of Erick Danzerand Tim Laman.
|
|
Maps courtesy of Yayasan Palung.
Please also see the Mongaby website page on Borneo which provides an excellent description of the island, geography, and horrible deforestation.
|
|
Health In Harmony
