Battle against deforestation in Indonesia

 

Indonesia is one of the biggest paper producing countries. Its large corporations, however, are being accused of destroying large parts of Sumatra and other Indonesian islands by cutting down rainforests and replacing them with plantations. Environmental organizations are worried that endangered species, especially tigers and primates, as well as the habitat of local people will be destroyed.

About 85% of Indonesia is covered with forests. Since the beginning of the 20th century forests have been constantly reduced, more than half caused by humans.
Local inhabitants claim they cannot go hunting in the forests anymore and have no shade to stand under when it gets too hot.

 


Asia Pulp and Paper is one of the world’s largest papermaking companies. The Indonesian corporation is said to have destroyed natural forests on a broad basis. The widespread burning down of trees has made Indonesia the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Recently the environmental organization Greenpeace has been focusing on the company’s biggest buyers. One of them is Mattel, the producer of Barbie and Ken dolls. Greenpeace claims that the toy firm is buying packaging products from Asia Pulp and Paper and therefore helping to eliminate Indonesia’s natural forests.

Although APP deny such accusations and say that it is engaging in conservation programs and building new schools,  the Greenpeace campaign  has hit the company hard. Under pressure, the paper giant has declared that it would stop cutting down natural forests in the country.

 


Greenpeace says that it will continue its fight against deforestation, not only in Indonesia but in other countries that do not stop the destruction of forests.  The government in Indonesia has also taken steps in the fight against deforestation. It has extended the ban on legally felling rainforests for another two years.

 

 

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Words

  • accusation = charge
  • accuse of = blame
  • ban = forbid, not allow
  • broad basis = here: a large area
  • campaign  = action, movement
  • cause = the reason for
  • century = a hundred years
  • claim = to say that something is true
  • conservation = protection
  • continue = go on with
  • corporation = big company
  • declare = to say officially
  • deforestation = the cutting down or burning down of trees in an area
  • deny = to say that’s something is not true
  • destroy = to damage completely
  • eliminate = destroy
  • emit = send out into the atmosphere
  • engage = to become involved in an action; to do something about a problem
  • environment = the world around us
  • especially = above all
  • extend = make longer
  • fell = cut down
  • government = people who rule a country
  • habitat = the living area of plants and animals
  • however = but
  • inhabitant = a person who lives in a place
  • legal =something that you can do according to the law
  • package = to put into boxes
  • plantation = large area in a tropical country, where tea, sugar, cotton etc are grown
  • primate = apes , chimpanzees and gorillas
  • recently = only a short time ago
  • reduce = decrease, make lower
  • replace = to put in something’s place
  • shade = out of sunlight, shadow of sunlight
  • therefore = that is why
  • widespread = extensive, a large area