Environmentalists are outraged. They point to Tapak Kuda island in northern Sumatra which is sinking because its mangroves have been cut. Tapak Kuda residents have been asked to evacuate. Near Yamdena is the island of Kei which was logged heavily by a Dutch company in the late 19th century. Today, Kei has almost no topsoil left and is covered with jagged rocks.
People there grow cassava with difficulty.
Even fish has become a luxury. In Yamdena, islanders and environmentalists face an uphill fight. Timber products are Indonesia's second major export after oil and gas. The Southeast Asian country supplies 85 percent of the world's demand for hardwood plywood. The World Bank has estimated that the country loses 700,000 to 1.2 million hectares of its forests annually.