THE mangrove forest spreads out over 22 hectares, causing cool air to pervade all parts of the area. Apart from the flourishing mangrove trees, the cries of proboscis monkeys get intermittent response from the melodious shrills of songbirds. The atmosphere doesn’t come from a wildlife reserve distant from the human bustle. “It’s the prized zone of an island city like Tarakan,” said Gani Abdullah, 72.

For the Sebengkok resident born in Ta