Some quick facts about the rainforest and biodiversity in Indonesia. The rainforest in Indonesia once covered 84% of the countries 17,508 islands.   At the turn of the 20th century, 170 million hectares of dense primary rainforest covered the archipelago but in present day, there are less than 98 million hectares remaining.  Illegal logging has been one of the main contributors to the rapid deforestation, it accounts for 73%-88% of the deforestation in Indonesia. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country on Earth with more than 240 million people living there. Due to illegal logging, many of these small communities and indigenous population have been driven from their home.

With much of the rainforest being deforested, this in turn affects the wildlife that use the rainforest as their safe haven. Indonesia is home to 1,531 species of bird, 515 species of mammal, 270 species of amphibian, 35 species of primate and 38,000 species of plant.   9.9% of the total number of species threatened by poaching,   logging and agricultural development.  Poaching is the illegal practice of trespassing on another’s property to hunt or steal game without the landowner’s permission. Poaching is very serious in Indonesia as it is causing the endangerment of many species such as the Sumatran Tiger, Pangolin and Orangutans. Many may not be aware of the increasing number of poaching cases that occur across Indonesia and the number of animals that are facing endangerment. Thus awareness campaigns have been put in place to increase awareness so that something can be done about these problems, as the government alone cannot solve this problem. Communities and individuals have a part to play as well in the serious poaching problems in Indonesia.

In my blog, I will not only be addressing the poaching issues happening in Indonesia but also the psychology theories behind these issues. Why do people poach? What drives them? Why people do, think and feel the way they do. All these questions will be answered in my blog.  Also ways to stop and reduce poaching will be elaborated more about in my blog.