Unique forest ecosystem in Indonesia threatened by Chinese-built dam

173 shares

By: Jack HEWSON 1 min

To mark the International Day of Forests, we take you to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where one of the planet's last virgin forests is being destroyed to clear space for palm oil and other plantations. In Sumatra's Batang Toru ecosystem, meanwhile, a hydroelectric dam is being built by Chinese state-controlled companies, as part of Beijing's Belt and Road investment initiative. But scientists say a treasure of biodiversity is now in peril, including a newly identified species of orangutans.