Central Borneo One Of World's Last Bastions Of Unique Lifeforms, So Let's Mine The SHIT Out Of It!! [View all]

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The zone, roughly the central third of the island of Borneo, includes a mosaic of different forest types, where WWF says three new species on average have been discovered every month since 2005. It is home to vulnerable and endangered species such as pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinoceros, proboscis monkeys, clouded leopards, sun bears and orangutans.

British naturalist David Attenborough has written of the Heart of Borneo: "All of us who value life on this planet should support the efforts to conserve it. It is truly a world heritage and the world should respond to its needs." But the area is not technically protected, and WWF, which is driving the conservation initiative, works with the governments and industries operating in the region on "sustainable land use" and practices.

BHP Billiton, which has contracted Leighton Holdings subsidiary Thiess Indonesia to build a major road, river port and facilities for 550 workers for the first of its planned Indomet mines, estimates there are 1.3 billion tonnes of coking and thermal coal in its project areas.

According to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI, by its local acronym), in addition to releasing huge volumes of carbon dioxide through deforestation and mining, the new Australian coalmines will disrupt and pollute two major river systems, destroy tens of thousands of hectares of natural forest in an area of high biodiversity and have disastrous impacts on the land and resources of the local people, potentially causing conflict.

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http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/aussies-to-dig-at-the-heart-of-borneo-as-coal-projects-threaten-nature-20140412-36jpc.html