It has been several days since the haze have blanketed Southeast Asian nations like Singapore and Malaysia. Last night, Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) of singapore pass over 300 and have reached hazardous pollution level. People rightfully are angry and upset.
However, there is a bigger ecological problem looming behind the sense that nobody seems to care about. The haze are the resultant of burning down the forests in neighbouring Indonesian islands to make cultivation ,mainly, the palm oil. Most of the companies engaging these activities are foreign companies , some from Singapore and Malaysia themselves.
These island tropical rainforests held the multitude of species of flora and fauna with many left undiscovered and many of them are unique to the particular island. With the increased logging and plantations, these species have not only lost their natural habitat but also seriously endangered. One of them is the Orangutans , one of the most intelligent species in the world, which numbered around 50,000 (UN, 2007) and are rapidly dwindling [1,2].
One thing that upset me is that millions of people in the region are angry with the smoke but no one has ever been spoken about these plants and animals who has lost their lives to man-made fires. We all should remember that The world is not only for humans.
1. Say No to Palm oil http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/
2. Save the Orangutans http://www.savetheorangutan.info/our-work/index.php
