THE journey had almost come to the end of the paved road when a patch of mud blocked the way. For the first time, Iful, the driver of the rental car which had brought us five reporters from Jakarta, accompanied by a group from the Burung Indonesia conservation group, had to stop and think a bit.

From Sidangoli, West Halmahera, over 100 kilometers to the north, the road had altered between smoothly paved and gravel with potholes. The driver had j