Publication - 4 January, 2004
One of the last great Ancient Forests, is the Paradise Forest of Asia Pacific which encompasses the diverse tropical forests of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and nearby archipelagos. This region has evergreen rainforests including mangrove, coastal and swamp forests as well as lowland rainforests and monsoon and deciduous forests in the drier and more mountainous regions. The Paradise Forests support well over 500 species of mammals and more than 1,600 species of birds, not to mention around 30,000 species of higher plants. Unfortunately, Indonesia and New Guinea have already lost around 65% of their ancient Paradise Forests and the region as a whole has seen a 25% increase in timber production in 1996-98 compared to the previous decade. Across the Paradise Forests of Asia Pacific, trans-national corporations continue to operate destructively, and often outside of the law, as they harvest the last remaining accessible forest resources.