These are the Pygmy Tarsiers and recently, scientists have found three of these alive in the Indonesian forests.

So what is so special about them? Well, the last time someone saw one of these alive was apparently way back in 1921 and while that does not mean they are extinct, it has been hard to find a considerable population of these tiny cute (or scary, depending on your perception) creatures since many decades now.

The Tarsiers are primates, most closely related to lemurs, and are unusual because of their sharp claws and weight – just 2 ounces. Their big eyes and the light bodies allows them to jump at night from tree to tree in search of food.

These small creatures were believed to be driven towards extinction with large forest areas in Indonesia being cleared in the 1960’s and 70’s for industrial use, but apparently the tiny guys are hanging on, as scientists found them, at an altitude of over 6,900 feet on top of tree tops with misty air around them.

Scientists have tagged the three Pygmy Tarsiers they found and is hoped that more of these little guys are hanging on to dear life. We may not lose them after all and hopefully protecting the Indonesian rainforests will help them grow in number. – via TreeHugger

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Probably inspired by the way they pay fees in Brazil, if you happen to reside in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, you might have to go searching for a place to plant a tree, before you go around looking for a bride to get married to.

With the pollution of the city reaching an all-time high and much of Indonesian forests being cleared away for commercial purposes, the government had no other option but to introduce this unique new law. From now on, you need to plant a tree to get a marriage certificate or even a birth certificate in the city, which is an ingenious way to ensure that more and more people will get involved in the government’s reforestation program.

Each year, East Kalimantan, a part of Indonesia clears from 865,000 to 1.24 million acres of forest land and only replants 30% of it. This leaves a huge void which is increasingly being felt due to growing pollution in the country. The collection of tropical islands still has large land under forest cover, but the rate at which that land is disappearing is alarming.

Papua Province, Indonesia

Could that be the reason why Indonesia made it to the 2008 Guinness World Records as fastest forest destroyer on the planet? By “forcing” the citizens of Jakarta to plant trees, this may be a much needed boost.

Sounds like an easy way to save forests and a way of giving something back to Mother Nature. I’d love to see it turned into law, worldwide. What do you think?

Source: Reuters
Images courtesy of stefanottomanski and Greenpeace Southeast Asia