Planned coal-trucking road threatens a forest haven for Sumatran frogs
The Harapan forest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra is teeming with frog species, one of which was just described last year.
These amphibians are threatened by a coal-trucking road that the government has approved to be built right through the forest.
Environmental activists have pushed back against the project, calling on the government to either suspend the project or approve alternative routes that would bypass the forest altogether or cut through a less pristine portion of it.
The local government has promised to study the project’s impact, but activists point out the final decision lies with the central government, which gave the approval and has still not addressed their concerns.