Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) A group of Indonesian students in Taiwan held a press conference Tuesday to call for local awareness and assistance in saving the Indonesian rainforest, which is being rapidly destroyed.
Indonesia, which has the second-largest rainforest in the world, is facing a severe environmental crisis that even the people of Taiwan cannot overlook, said group leader Denni, a junior at the Transworld Institute of Technology (TIT) in Yunlin County.
Denni was one of five Indonesian exchange students at TIT's Department of Environmental Resources Management who made the appeal. They all came from the Indonesian island of Sumantra.
Indonesia's rainforest is vanishing at frightening speed because of illegal logging, corruption and global warming he said, adding that the destruction has led to the deaths of more than 1,000 orangutans, 33 Sumatran tigers and numerous other endangered species every year.
"People may think that Taiwan has nothing to do with the status of the Indonesian rainforest. But most people don't realize that Taiwan has been hurting the Earth more than other countries. That is why we should offer our help more than anyone else, " said Chang Tzu-chien, a professor at TIT, who also noted that the average greenhouse gas emission per person of Taiwan ranks third-highest globally.
The group of Indonesian students have been engaging in an international exchange project, titled "Sustainable Sumatra, " a collaboration of TIT's Department of Environmental Resources Management and Bodhicitta Mandala Conservation, an Indonesian non-government organization (NGO) that focuses on environmental conservation.
"Well-known NGOs such as the World Wildlife Foundation and Conservation International have been trying to save the rainforest but the rate of destruction has not slowed, largely as a result of poverty," Chang said.
He said the exchange project aims to work with local organizations to improve the local economy, public health, provide clean water and environmental protection.
"We feel obligated to so something for our home country. Hopefully, what we do today can raise the awareness of Taiwanese people on the issue, " said Hendra, a sophomore from Medan.