TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - North Sulawesi Government's plan to make Bangka Island as a mining site has received a lot of critics from tourism observers and environmentalist. Angelique Batuna, an environmentalist and owner of Murex diving resort, said that the decision would interfere underwater ecosystem in and around Bangka, including Bunaken Sea-Park. Bunaken has so far been a worldwide tourist destination, visited by both locals and foreigners.

"We are aware of the mining activity. If we let it operating, the sea would be victim," said Angelique. She also said that coral reef and underwater ecosystem will be threaten, as well as Bunaken.

The Ministry of Agriculture has created 10 community forests covering almost 15,000 hectares across three districts of Ratanakkiri province – almost all of them in areas that the rights group Adhoc argues have already been irrevocably degraded.

According to the April 30 edition of the government’s Royal Book, agriculture minister Chan Sarun signed into existence 10 new community forests – distributed throughout 11 areas for a total of 14,805 hectares – in Bakeo, Lumphat and Veun Sai districts.

A leopard wandered into the golf course near the airport one morning last December. It preyed on the guard dog and livestock and had the entire neighbourhood terrified. When asked for help, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and District Forest Office were infuriatingly nonchalant in their response and said the wild animal “wasn’t really a threat”. Four months later in April, the leopard was ruthlessly beaten to death by locals of Gothatar and paraded around town like a trophy (pic, right).

As human encroachment into wildlife habitats continues to grow, man-leopard encounters are becoming increasingly common in Kathmandu. Driven out due to competition or dwindling prey, this leopard, like its ancestors, probably used the green trail along the Bagmati to foray into the city in search of easy livestock who have long lost their protective instincts.