Articles by Loren Bell

CV Arjuna coal mine in Makroman. Photo: S. Yutinus Hardjanto. Baharuddin should be happy. The rambutan and durian trees flanking his home are heavy with fruit. Two hectares of chilies…

An anole lizard silhouetted on a rainforest leaf. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. The biggest factor determining species diversity and distribution on islands is not size and isolation, as traditional…

Forest fires in Rokan Hulu. Courtesy of Riau Forest's Facebook Page Indonesia ended 12 years of stalling this week, becoming the last ASEAN nation to ratify an agreement on transboundary…

The contested plantation. Photo: Save Our Borneo A palm oil company in Central Kalimantan continues to operate business as usual, despite a Supreme Court ruling confirming it has no legal…

Rainforest stream near Jantho in Aceh, Indonesia. Photos by Rhett A. Butler Aceh, Indonesia has found a new ally in the struggle to protect the province's remaining natural forests: Sharia…

Rainforest and smallholder jungle rubber in Sumatra. Photo by Rhett A. Butler The Indonesian government has declared it will verify ownership of 66.3 million hectares of disputed forest land by…

Police in Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia, seized 55 porcupines from smugglers preparing to ship the animals to China. Three suspects were detained during last week's operation, while their accomplices remain…

Community leader in Aceh, Indonesia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Public hearings into alleged violations of indigenous peoples' land rights will open next week in Palu on the island of…

Illegal gold mining operation in Aceh, Indonesia. Photo by Junaidi Hanafi. In the wake of massive fish die-offs and repeated calls from environmental groups to do more than just talk…

Protesters in Bali in June 2014. Photo by Anton Muhajir. In a reversal sparking outrage from locals, and concern from environmentalists, the Governor of Bali, Indonesia has given the green…

Illegal gold mining operation in Aceh, Indonesia. Photo by Junaidi Hanafi. The Governor of Aceh Province, Indonesia appears unwilling to implement a mining moratorium, despite repeated statements he intends to…

Singkil Swamp Forest Wildlife newly burned for palm plantations in Trumon, South Aceh District, Aceh. Photo: Chik Rini. Oil palm plantations and other developments are threatening Rawa Singkil Wildlife Preserve—Aceh's…

The Environment Ministry of Sintang Regency, West Kalimantan, Indonesia declared that the water in many rivers and lakes is unsuitable for consumption due to high levels of pollution. "Much of…

Decomposing carcass of an adult orangutan in the forest of Southwest Aceh. Photos by Leuser Conservation Forum. The Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh, Indonesia is gaining the attention of international animal…

Plantation development in Riau, Sumatra. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. Dear Joko Widodo, Congratulations on your successful bid for the Indonesian presidency. Although neither you nor your opponent spent much…

Peat swamp in Malaysian Borneo Long considered an unproductive hindrance to growth and development, peat swamp forests in Southeast Asia have been systematically cleared, drained and burned away to make…

We'll pay more: governments in developing countries spend far less on tropical forest conservation than their citizens would like Rainforest in Malaysian Borneo. Photos by Rhett A. Butler. As developing…

Sumatran tiger in an Indonesian village. Conflicts between tigers and humans will continue to increase unless the destruction and loss of Sumatra's forests is halted, warns Dr. Erni Suyanti Musabine,…

Massive offshore wind turbine arrays would reduce hurricane wind speeds and storm surge, reports a study published this week in Nature Climate Change. And while the size (tens of thousands…

Photo by Rachel Graham. In a move signaling their commitment to CITES agreements on international trade of plants and animals, the Indonesian government declared two species of manta ray "protected"…

Ship carrying heavy mining equipment intercepted by hundreds of fishermen using dozens of fishing boats in the waters of Bangka Island. Photo: Save Bangka Island. Hundreds of villagers and fishermen…

Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus) . Photo by Rhett A. Butler. Protecting large, isolated areas of no-take zones for over 10 years with strong enforcement is the key to effective Marine…

Chrysopelea Paradisi in flight. Photo by John J. Socha. Flying snakes achieve surprising amounts of lift through the shape of their bodies, report researchers from Virginia Tech in a paper…

A young Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) was shot and killed by a coffee farmer in Jambi Province. With an estimated 400 individuals left in the wild, the species is…

Kelumpang Sarawak (Sterculia megistophylla) in Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler Humans have been actively managing vast areas of Southeast Asia's forests for longer than previously believed, according to research…

Great white shark off South Africa. Photo by Rhett A. Butler One quarter of all shark and ray species are threatened with extinction, according to a new study published in…

Protest staged by Walhi Jambi. Sinar Mas Group allegedly defrauded the Indonesian government of $15 million by avoiding reforestation taxes on 2,000 hectares in Jambi province. The land is reportedly…