Different rainforest trees grow on an island called Siberut; one of four big islands of the Mentawai Archipelago located off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Katuka is what Mentawaians call one family of these dipterocarp trees. These trees have very hard wood and are widely used for construction and crafting.

I want to tell you the story of one katuka tree in particular. This 400-year-old tree will soon surrender its life to serve the needs of the people. 

A Giant Falls

As the sun rises over Siberut Island, a Mentawaian called Aman Ani and his fellow villagers sharpen their axes. They prepare their meals, as well as an offering for the forest spirits. Later, they sit quietly in a motorised canoe as they cruise upstream. Some of them are...

At just past five o'clock in the morning on 7 December 2016, a damaging earthquake struck Aceh, Indonesia. Damage was most severe in Pidie Jaya and neighbouring Pidie and Biruen Regencies, located east of the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. Extensive building damage tragically led to the loss of more than 100 lives. More than 80,000 people are displaced, unable to return because of destroyed or damaged buildings. People fear returning to their homes and community buildings because the...

Edible vegetable oil, produced from oil palm and soybeans, is a key ingredient in junk food like chips and ice cream. Although these foods have little to no nutritional value, global consumption is on the rise, resulting in an increase in demand for vegetable oil. This has become a serious issue because large areas of land in Southeast Asia and South America have to be cleared to make way for oil palm and soybean crops. 

A study, led by Assistant Professor Janice Lee of the Asian School of the Environment, has found that more forests will be cleared by the year 2050 as a result of the increased demand in vegetable oil. Along with this deforestation, valuable biodiversity will be lost in Southeast Asia, and sequestered carbon (carbon stored in plants, soils, and geologic...

Today marks the anniversary of the 26-27 August 1883 eruption of Krakatau Volcano, Indonesia 

The 1883 eruption of Krakatau (also widely known as Krakatoa) volcano in Indonesia has captured the imagination of many people – from the first Malay account of the eruption by Muhammad Saleh (Syair Lampung Karam – published in Singapore) to the 1969 film Krakatoa, East of Java, starring Maximillian Schnell.

And how not? The eruption is remarkable in many ways. Early signs of unrest began in May 1883 and increased in intensity until the climactic eruption commenced on 26 August, with a large ash plume extending upwards of 27 kilometres (km) into the sky and the generation of a small tsunami.

From 5.30 am to 10.41 am (local time) on 27 August, the eruption culminated in...