Doy was willing to be a part-time teacher in the village with a meagre salary of Rp 450,000 a month, as long as he could spend time in the forest of Permatang Gadung during the weekends. He would spend the time taking pictures, sniffing the smell of the peat swamp while enjoying the musical cacophony of the irreplaceable sounds of the forest – a luxury that could not be bought by Doy from a supermarket anywhere in the world.
There were not only abundant fish in the small streams in Permatang Gadung, but also various types of rare and unique flora and fauna. Their numbers are also at a critical level.
A study by the Ketapang Biodiversity Keeping and Kawan Burung Ketapang (KBK), found many species of amphibians from frogs to lizards, and reptiles such as alligators and also different species of insects, endangered primates to rare birds. This included one of the most sought after flora in the world, the Black Orchid (Coelogyne pandurata).
For generations, the villagers in the area including Doy and his family have been keeping a close watch over the sacred forest.
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