Indonesia's forest fires threaten Sumatra's few remaining Orang Rimba

Fires lit to clear ground for planting, mainly palm oil, have ravaged Sumatra's forests, endangering the indigenous tribes who live in them

"Our main goal is to preserve the forest according to the customary traditions of our people. If there's no forest, there's no Orang Rimba and the other way round," says Bepak Pengusai, head of customs in a rombong, or group area, belonging to the Orang Rimba, an aboriginal people in Sumatra.

Indonesia's devastating forest fires pose a serious threat to the Orang Rimba habitat. From July to late last year, the fires killed a dozen people and caused respiratory tract infections in half a million more.