Shrinking forest

SHRINKING FOREST Mist rises in the hot air above a mountain rain forest known as the Leuser Ecosystem, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Dense with trees pushing up through the rain forest layers, the tallest rise 150–200 ft (45–60 m) to emerge above the canopy. This unique habitat is the last place where Sumatran orangutans, tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses coexist in the wild.

Tropical rain forests cover around 6 percent of the world’s land, yet produce 40 percent of all oxygen and are often called the lungs of the Earth. The Leuser Ecosystem covers around 10,100 sq miles (26,300 sq km), about the size of Massachusetts. However, rain forest cover in Indonesia is rapidly decreasing to make room for palm oil plantations, hydroelectric dams, and farming. Increase in demand for lumber and wood pulp for paper has led to a rise in illegal logging. Human activity is putting many of the species of plants and animals in the region, which are not found anywhere else in the world, at risk of extinction. It also threatens the health of the whole planet.