Across Indonesia there are several national parks that are not only beautiful and surreal to a certain aspect some are also a great attraction for divers and lovers of the oceans. The parks themselves are a hive of activity with an immense array of flora and fauna unlike any other in the world on display for the enthusiast. The island of Sulawesi is a nature-lovers delight in every facet. Its wildlife is found nowhere else in the world and it’s no wonder Alfred Wallace declared this island so fascinating. The combination of lush tropical rainforests caressing the golden sands of its beaches and the high mountainous areas make the national parks of Sulawesi a definite part of your visit there. In Indonesian national parks are threatened by the economics of the country. The biggest threat to parks is the encroachment of mankind in the pursuit of land to grow palm oil or to reap the forests of their wood. Fortunately there are conservation ‘watchdog’ groups like WAHLI and WWF to maintain the status quo.
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The number of Indonesians concerned with preserving North Sulawesi’s flora and fauna — one of the country’s most precious natural treasures — has been rising amid the uncontrollably high rate of deforestation. Beginning with an awareness on how to maintain the existing wealth for the benefit of all, their selfless acts are aimed at protecting the Tangkoko-Batuangus Nature Reserve in Ranowulu district, Bitung regency, North Sulawesi. This is in stark contrast to some government officials who view the existing forests merely as a quick source of easy cash. The environmentalists, on the other hand, see far beyond that in wishing to preserve the forests for future generations.
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In the past, Endah Lasmadiwati had been a famous Balinese dance trainer at seven dance studios in Jakarta. But in 1980, life took a bad twist when all the studios went bankrupt, leaving her depressed, sick and almost paralyzed. In this desperate situation she prayed to regain her strength, through meditation and fasting. She learned to let God’s will direct her life. Now, the 60-year-old is the proud owner of Taman Sringanis, a park of medicinal herbs and a center for the development of natural health remedies in Cimanengah village of Bogor, West Java.
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Batam municipality plans to relocate swift breeding businesses to outlying islands to reduce noise pollution in the city and prevent the islands from being misused by foreign parties. In its proposed spatial plan for the 2008-2028 period, the municipality allocates Tonton, Setokok, Nipah, Ngenang, Rempang, Galang and Janda Berihas islands for businesses involved in breeding swifts, a kind of plainly colored songbird that resembles a swallow, for their edible nests.
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Indonesian seas and jungles harbour a realm of species unique to the archipelago. There are even places on these islands where man has not yet put down his foot and embarked on a journey of discovery. We are always hearing about new species being discovered in these isolated areas. Recently, scientists discovered a fish that crawls instead of swimming and has forward-looking eyes like humans could be part of an entirely unknown family of fishes. The creature sighted in Indonesian waters off Ambon Island has tan-and peach-coloured zebra-stripping. It uses its leg-like pectoral fins to burrow into cracks and crevices of coral reefs in search of food. According to scientists, the recently discovered relative of the anglerfish will have to undergo DNA scrutiny to verify that it is unique.
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Located some 60 kilometers to the east of Ende, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, there are three lakes of three different colours that are collectively known as the Kelimutu Lakes. To get to the lakes, tourists must travel about two hours overland from Ende to the parking area of Kelimutu National Park and from there walk for about 30 minutes through casuarina trees to reach the crater. Scientists continue to puzzle over the colors of the lakes, which are situated about 1,690 meters above sea level, because they change over time. Before 2006, the lakes were red, blue and white. Now, the red lake is black-brown, the blue lake is light green and the white lake is black. The black-brown lake and the light green lake are located side-by-side, separated only by a wall of earth that is 100-200 centimeters thick.
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Halmahera fairy birds — Wallace’s Standardwing Bird of Paradise, Semioptera Wallacei — danced beautifully in the sky above White Land Hill on Halmahera Island, North Maluku, that morning before sunrise. With dark green feathers and silky white wings, the endemic birds of North Maluku were flying low through the forest while singing their morning song. Since their discovery by English adventurer Alfred Russel Wallace in the 19th century, fairy birds have long been dubbed as the most beautiful bird on the remote island of Halmahera (a haven for native flora and fauna), and one of the most famous birds in Indonesia. According to a survey conducted by Birdlife Indonesia, between 1994 and 1995, the population of Wallace’s Standardwing Birds of Paradise stood at between 75 and 124 and was distributed throughout Aketajawe National Park in Central Halmahera, Lolobata National Park in East Halmahera, Tidore city and White Land Hill in Sindangoli, around a five-hour ride from Aketajawe.
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Young activists say their concern over an education system that shows little interest in teaching ethical values, traditional lifestyles or a love of nature inspired them to set up an alternative school for children. The activists set up Serambi Merapi Community in Pakembinangun village, Sleman regency in Yogyakarta, and now manage a two-hectare organic agricultural field where traditional games and plays are performed, and where the alternative program is run for groups of students.
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A frog has been found in a remote part of Indonesia that has no lungs and breathes through its skin, a discovery that researchers said could provide insight into what drives evolution in certain species. The species is the first frog known to science without lungs and joins a short list of amphibians with this unusual trait, including a few species of salamanders and a wormlike creature known as a caecilian. The aquatic frog Barbourula kalimantanensis was found in a remote part of Indonesia’s Kalimantan province on Borneo island during an expedition in August …
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The population of the Sumatran Tiger (Phantera Tigris Sumaterae) in the Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) has continued to decline, a foreign nature conservation worker said. The tiger population in the park now was only 136, down from 150 spotted in 2007, coordinator for Sumatra of Flora Fauna International (FFI), Debby Martin, said in a report on the results of her research. Hunting and land clearing had become the main threat to the rare animals population. The research was conducted by FFI in coordination with the TNKS administration and some universities in a Sumatran Tigers` …
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