<
https://theconversation.com/a-china-backed-dam-in-indonesia-threatens-a-rare-great-ape-and-thats-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-192615>
"In 2017, scientists described a new species of great apes – the Tapanuli
orangutan. The species, found in the Batang Toru ecosystem of North Sumatara,
Indonesia was listed as critically endangered soon after.
The population of the species has declined by 83% over the past 75 years,
largely due to hunting and habitat loss. Just 800 Tapanuli orangutans remain –
and their last known habitat is threatened by a slew of infrastructure
projects.
Chief among them is the Chinese-funded Batang Toru hydropower dam, which
threatens to fragment and submerge a large chunk of the orangutan’s habitat.
The project is just one of a staggering 49 hydropower dams China is funding:
mostly across Southeast Asia, but also in Africa and Latin America.
In new research, my colleagues and I show the substantial risk to biodiversity
posed by the sheer number of Chinese-funded dams. And yet, environmental
regulation of these projects has serious flaws."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
