Borneo was once nearly completely forested, but in the last few decades the country has seen an alarming reduction in forestland. This widespread deforestation is having an unbearable effect on the many species that live in the Sabangau National Forest and on the indigenous populations of Central Kalimantan, who rely on natural resources and traditional ways of living. All of Sabangau National Park is ancient peat swamp forest. Peat holds a tremendous amount of sequestered carbon, and when it is cut and burned, it dramatically accentuates the rate of global warming. Additionally, it has been associated with an epidemic of lung disease in the local people. This program pieces together the inevitable results of deforestation—degradation of the landscape, loss of animal habitat, elongated dry seasons, and the unavoidable toll it is taking on the health and financial stability of the indigenous communities.
