The Heart of Borneo Salazar stopped abruptly in the middle of the rain forest. She bent over to flick the leeches off her socks. It was a bad place to stop. She could see the blood-sucking worms inching toward her along the ground. T ey were like bits of steel being drawn to a magnet. She picked off about a dozen leeches from


her boots and socks. T en she noticed blotches of blood soaking through her shirt. Several leeches had latched onto her stomach. Yuck! It was not the warm welcome Salazar had


hoped for on the island of Borneo. T is large island is located along the equator where the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean meet. A rain forest used to cover nearly all of


Borneo. But over the past 50 years, more than half of the forest has been cleared. Logging companies chop down trees for lumber. Plantation owners clear land to grow palm trees. Mining companies dig up the land to mine for coal. T e remaining forest covers the central region of the island. It is called the Heart of Borneo. Every rain forest is special, but the Heart


of Borneo is a crown jewel. Scientists think it may have the greatest biodiversity, or variety of life, of any place on Earth. At least 10,000 diff erent species, or kinds, of plants grow there. More than 350 species of birds fly among the trees. And just one tree can be home to 1,000 diff erent kinds of insects. Many of these species live nowhere else on Earth.


View from a Sacred Mountain T e biodiversity here is being threatened, though. Some logging and farming take place even in the Heart of Borneo. T at’s why Salazar was there. She was on an expedition with scientists. Her assignment was to document all the plants and animals that live on this unexplored mountain. T is mountain is sacred to the people who live there. Salazar soon discovered that this was a


tough place to work. Leeches weren’t her only problem. Putting one foot in front of the other was a challenge, too. Wet, spongy moss carpeted the forest floor near the top of the mountain. Salazar’s feet plunged into the moss as if it was a thick layer of snow. To move more easily, Salazar dropped to


the ground. She crawled on all fours over roots, fallen trees, and rocks. T is also put her eye-level with wild orchids and insect-eating pitcher plants. All along the way, she captured images with her camera. Aſt er three days, the team reached the top of


the mountain. An eerie mist surrounded them. Salazar spotted a stunning bird and took its picture. She thought about all she had seen on the way up. She hoped that her photos would convey how precious these species are.


Some Success T e team’s findings and Salazar’s pictures have an impact. Salazar’s photos help people understand the value of saving this rain forest. Much of that value is yet unknown. For every species Salazar photographs, there are many others that haven’t been discovered yet. Since 2007, scientists have discovered more than 100 new species in the Heart of Borneo. More are found every year. Scientists, businesses, and governments are


now working together to protect the Heart of Borneo. With attention on this rain forest, Salazar traveled to another rain forest in Peru.


20


Salazar snapped a photo of this stink bug crawling down a leaf in the rain forest.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24