Why Indonesia is moving its capital to the rainforests of Borneo

Indonesia is relocating its capital city from Jakarta to a site more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away in the rainforests of Borneo Island.

Located in eastern Borneo -- the world's third-largest island -- Nusantara is set to replace sinking and polluted Jakarta as Indonesia's political centre by late 2024.

Environmentalists warn building a metropolis will speed up deforestation in one of the world's largest and oldest stretches of tropical rainforest, estimated to be more than 100 million years old.

The island that Indonesians call the "lungs of the world" -- shared with Malaysia and Brunei -- is home to long-nosed monkeys, clouded leopards, pig-tailed macaques, flying fox-bats and the smallest rhinos on the planet.

But the Indonesian government is ploughing forward with the plan. By 2045, it believes Nusantara will host 1.9 million residents, more than twice Balikpapan's population, importing a wave of human and industrial activity into the heart of Borneo. 

Here's why Southeast Asia's largest economy is moving its administrative centre away from Jakarta, to a lush, biodiverse region home to the world's oldest rainforests. 

A sinking city 

Jakarta is sinking at an alarming...