East-Borneo.NET :: The art, culture and knowledge of east borneo.

By Richard Black
Environment Correspondent, BBC News website

"You don't find new mammals that often, and to do so must be extraordinary"
Callum Rankine

In the dense central forests of borneo, a conservation group has found what appears to be a new species of mammal.

WWF caught two images of the animal, which is bigger than a domestic cat, dark red, and has a long muscular tail. Local people, the WWF says, had not seen the species before, and researchers say it looks to be new. The WWF says there is an urgent need to conserve forests in south-east Asia which are under pressure from logging and the palm oil trade. The creature, believed to be carnivorous, was spotted in the Kayan Mentarang National Park, which lies in Indonesian territory on Borneo. The team which discovered it, led by biologist Stephan Wulffraat, is publishing full details in a new book on Borneo and its wildlife. "You don't find new mammals that often, and to do so must be extraordinary," said Callum Rankine, head of the species programme at WWF-UK. "We've got camera traps there, which are passive devices relying on infra-red beams across forest paths," he told the BBC News website. "Lots of animals come past - it's much easier than pushing through the forest itself - and when an animal cuts the beam, two cameras catch images from the front and back."

balikpapan

Panorama Disco
Red Square (mixed)

Bukit Damai Indah Family Club Jl. MT Haryono Ring Road, Balikpapan-Kaltim, Phone: 0542-871892, Fax: 0542-871567; Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; website: www.bukitdamaiindah.com

Palace International Executive Club Kompleks Ruko Balikpapan permai Blok 2 No.3 Balikpapan.

samarinda

Terapung Disco

Kersik Luway is a desert in the heart of a dense, tropical forest.

The desert of Kersik Luway is located in the hinterland of East Kalimantan, in the heart of borneo. It is actually a plateau on the upper reaches of the Mahakam river, about 300 kilometres to the West of samarinda.

White soft sand covered by shrubs and tall grass. Clumps of trees with yellowish leaves blanketed in the afternoon mist. This is Kersik Luway Nature Reserve from a distance. Kersik Luway is similar to a green oasis in the middle of a desert, which could be found in Africa and in the Middle East. The most beautiful scene is the spread of natural and unique orchids grown under the clumps of trees. Kersik Luway is home to hundreds of East Kalimantan's wild orchids which are now on the verge extinction as forests succumb to deforestation and forest fires. As you enter the reserve you will be struck with amazement at its beauty.

These Villages are located along Wahau River, Muara Wahau Subdistrict. This Village becomes a Cultivated Village of Citizen Resettlement in 1974. the citizents are from Apo Kayan. This Village is rich with arts as well as handicraft, such as mandau (borneo sword), statue etc.

Facilities: traditional home stays (lamin)

This place can reached by boat river, from samarinda-Long Noran/Long Segar, until Wahau Subdistrict.