Scientists didn't think it was possible. But on the third largest island in the world -- Borneo -- 51 year-old microbiologist and orangutan advocate Wille Smits has proven them wrong.He has created a lush tropical rainforest out of land that was once a desert.
His goal was to create an orangutan habitat from scratch in East Kalimantan, the second largest province in Indonesia.
And with the help of 600 families of the local Dayak tribe whose livelihood was economically tied to the project, he succeeded.
Smits named it Samboja Lestari, “Everlasting Forest.”
Scientific American called it "a gutsy experiment that has drawn criticism from both scientists and conservationists."
GET INVOLVED
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