Indonesians celebrate new year by clearing 30 tons of plastic off a beach
During the monsoon season each year, large amounts of trash and debris wash up onto Bali’s Kuta Beach. The litter is a serious issue and draws attention to our mounting single-use plastic crisis, but the community’s response to the trash is also inspiring. This year, locals got together for Read More...
New Guinea singing dogs not extinct in the wild, as previously thought
For years, zoologists have assumed that the New Guinea singing dog is extinct in the wild. That assumption has been proven wrong after an analysis of the DNA of three wild dogs living 14,000 feet high on the island matched the DNA of captive New Guinea singing dogs. If you aren’t familiar with Read More...
14 nations come together to launch plan to safeguard our oceans
In 2018, a panel of world leaders was established with the goal of creating a plan to achieve a ‘sustainable ocean economy’ in which our precious oceans are guarded against exploitation. The panel featured a mix of 14 developed and developing nations from around the world, including Norway, Read More...
Volunteers release more than 10,000 baby turtles into sea off Bali
With sea turtle populations having seen a decline in recent years, conservation groups are stepping up their game to bring sea turtle numbers back up. This past week, conservation groups carried crates each full of dozens of tiny turtles to Gianyar beach on the Indonesian island of Bali, and Read More...
Giving cash to poor families in Indonesia can help reduce deforestation
Indonesia has the third-largest area of rainforest in the world, but it also bears one of the highest deforestation rates on the globe, especially of primary forests – undisturbed, mature tropical forests that are important for biodiversity and carbon storage, among other benefits. Over the Read More...
This firm is designing earthquake-proof homes in Indonesia using bamboo
In 2018, a series of earthquakes struck the Indonesian island of Lombok, killing 560 people. The area was reduced to rubble and hundreds of thousands were displaced. Near the epicenter, most buildings were destroyed, in part because of poor concrete construction. A new project in the area aims to Read More...
The earliest known cave art by modern humans has been found in Indonesia
It’s profound how one historical discovery can completely change our view of the past. Recently in Indonesia, archaeologists made a discovery that did just that. What the archaeologists discovered was cave art depicting human-animal hybrid figures hunting warty pigs and dwarf buffaloes. Read More...
The ancient plant that's helping Indonesia modernize its electricity grid
As a nation made up of 17,000 islands, one of Indonesia’s most challenging problems in the 21st century has been modernizing its electric grid. But now on the island of Siberut, some electricity-starved hamlets are sustainably developing their own energy by relying on a material that has Read More...
An Indonesian community built a natural defense to save its shoreline
When the Demak District of Indonesia’s most populous island started to notice that its precious shoreline was degrading and disappearing, the district came up with a five-year plan to restore it. The plan included the installation of permeable dam structures made of bamboo and brushwood that trap Read More...
Giant pulp and paper maker renounces deforestation in Indonesia
Three years ago the rainforests of Indonesia, and the species that rely on them, seemed doomed. This week they received a great piece of news — the latest in a series of recent developments that has the trend now leaning heavily toward their conservation and restoration: Asia Pacific Resources Read More...