Located in the Equatorial monsoon belt, Indonesia is covered the
year round withlush green vegetation ranging from the dense, multilayered rain
forests of Sumatra, Kalimantan and other islands in the west to bushland and
savannahs in the more arid islands in the eastern parts of the country.
No fewer
than 15,000 tropical plant species have been counted to grow onIndonesian soil,
including such exotica as the "black" orchid and the Rafflesia,
considered the world's largest flower with a petal spread of one metre or over.
There are thousands of orchid varieties indigenous to Indonesia, coming in all
sorts of colour, scent and size. Coconut palms line thousands of kilometres of
shore. Rice is the main food crop and is usually grown on terraced fields in the
hinterland. Cash crops grown on plantations include tobacco, rubber tea, coffee,
cocoa, palmoil and many others.
A representative pick from the more exotic fruit
varieties that grow in Indonesia either in the wild or cultivated would include
the smelly but tasty durian, the heiryskinned rambut, the mango and
tough-shelled manggosteen and many banana varieties. Indonesia however, also
grows apples and grapes in higher altitudes and on mountain passes and slopes
2.000 metres and higher, the climate and vegetation is sub-alpine.The jungles
and bushlands are a natural habitat for an uncounted number of animal species.
Indonesia is separable into two distinct areas of animal population by the
"Wallace Line" - named after the English naturalist Alfred Russel
Wallace -dividing the Australian and Asian fauna. The Wallace Line or boundary
passes through the islands Bali, Lombok, and continues north to separate
Kalimantan and Sulawesi, then extends south of the Philippines and north of the
Hawaiian islands.
Found in Irian Jaya are tree kangaroos and wallabies like
those found on the neighbouring Australian continent. Also the heavybodies but
short legged cassowary bird is found here. Other birds include colourful
parrots, yellow-crowned cockatoos, lories, parakeets and the aptly named
bird-of-paradise.
The Asian species, found for example on Sumatra, are tigers,
elephants, tapirs, serows and monkeys, of which an outstanding specimen is the
Orang Utan (literally meaning "Man of the Forest"), Intelligent and in
size only second to the African gorilla. The Orang Utan can grow 1.5 metres
tall, weight 80 kgs. and reach an age of 25 years. Onehundred and forty
indigenous Indonesian species are now protected by law and include the Java
Tiger (panthera tigrissondaica), and the Java Rhino (rhinoceros sondaicus).
Another protected species is the Komodo lizard (varanus komodoensis), related to
a reptile variety believed to have lived 60 million years ago but discovered
only in 1912.
To protect these and other species against extinction and also to
preserve their natural habitats, the Indonesian Government has declared 12,9
million hectares protected areas. Present plans provide for the establishment of
333 nature reserves wildlife reserves, and tourist parks. Also in planning are
the establishment of two marine parks; at Pombo Island and the Banda Sea
Gardens. These are among the outstanding, but buy no means the only, or marine
gardens in Indonesian waters.
Easiest accessible of the currently known marine
gardens are probably those located in the Bay of Jakarta, which coral reefs and
fish make it a true paradise for skin divers. Other exist in North Sulawesi and
around Bali. Only recently coming under focus, the marine gardens promise to
give a new dimension to tourism in Indonesia in the near future when more are
made accessible. |
