One, Two, Three, All About Trees
Fun Facts About Deforestation for Kids
Indonesian Forest
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Indonesia is located near the equator and has a tropical climate
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Instead of summer, autumn, winter and spring, Indonesia has wet and dry seasons
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Two-thirds of Indonesia is made up of tropical rainforests which are home to as many as 40 000 different plants and many rare animals
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The rainforests in Indonesia are being cut down and burnt faster than they can regrow
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The Rafflesia arnoldii is the world's biggest flower
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There are many animals, like orang-utans and komodo dragons, which are in danger of becoming extinct
Around two-thirds of Indonesia is made up of tropical rainforests. These forests make up around ten percent of tropical rainforests in the world. Tropical rainforests are very diverse and have a wide range of plants and animals living in them.
In Indonesian rainforests there are thought to be as many as 40 000 different species of plants. Of these, there are around 5000 different species of orchid alone. Rainforests are also rich sources of timber. In Indonesia, timbers such as ebony, teak and sandalwood are cut for use in building and woodworking.
Even though rainforests are a large part of Indonesia, they are slowly disappearing. There are many reasons for this, but two of the biggest threats to Indonesian rainforests are logging and farming. The wood in rainforests is very valuable and it is being cut faster than it can regrow.
In a similar way, farmers in Indonesia often burn back parts of the forest during the dry season in order to create more farmland for them to use. This burning can result in smoke and smog as far away as Singapore and Malaysia. The Indonesian government is working to establish conservation areas that will protect large sections of rainforest and the plants and animals that live in them.
