Mahasiswa doktoral Fakultas Ilmu Biologi Universitas George Washington, Amerika Serikat, Daniel Lumbantobing mengenalkan Seluang baru ini dalam konferensi Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) 2010 di Ruang Jauk, Sanur Beach Hotel, Denpasar, Bali, Rabu (21/7/2010). Konferensi ATBC 2010 mengangkat tema Keanekaragaman Hayati Tropika: Menghadapi Krisis Pangan, Energi, & Perubahan Iklim. Bertindak sebagai tuan rumah, Universitas Indonesia dan Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI), serta didukung oleh 12 organisasi lainnya di antaranya Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

Participants of the ongoing international biodiversity meeting have learned from local Balinese that local traditions can play a significant role in maintaining natural biodiversity. In the panel session on “Living with Nature: Lessons from Bali”, participants learned that local communities on the island are encouraged to preserve local flora that is commonly used for religious ceremonies. The session was held as part of the international meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, coinciding with a workshop held by the Center for International Forestry Research in Sanur.

In Indonesia, the loss of biodiversity has reached crisis levels, scientists at a major tropical biodiversity meeting in Bali this week say. “The reason Indonesia is going through such a major crisis is because the biodiversity of Indonesia is extremely rich. It’s probably the second most important country after Brazil in terms of biodiversity,” said senior scientist Terry Sunderland. “The other great value of Indonesia’s biodiversity is that many of the species that occur here are endemic,” said Sunderland of the Centre for International Forestry Research based in Bogor, Indonesia.

“Crisis is a much overused term,” said Dr Terry Sunderland of the Bogor based Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and a member of the conference organizing committee. “But in terms of global biodiversity at this point, I think it entirely justified. For Indonesia, with its extraordinary wealth of plant and animal life, this crisis is acute.” Sunderland said that biodiversity loss is a time bomb that has the potential to severely damage the global systems that sustain life on earth.

PTerry Sunderland, an expert at the Bogor-based Center for International Forestry Research, said forests were mainly valued for their timber and land, not for their biodiversity. “People take biodiversity for granted,” Sunderland said. “We can’t estimate things like natural capital until we understand the value of it. It’s like we jump from the 18th floor and don’t realize we’re in crisis mode until we reach the ninth floor. It’s the same thing with biodiversity.” He said that this lack of awareness could lead to very serious consequences.

Banyak orang mungkin banyak yang berpikir biodiversity hanya membicarakan konservasi harimau, orangutan, atau gajah. Padahal tidak demikian, menurut James Clarke, Media Liaison and Outreach Manager CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research) dalam Media Workshop on Reporting Biodiversity menjelang konferensi Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation atau ATBC 2010 di Kebun Raya Bali. “Memang susah menyadarkan orang untuk berpikir mengaitkan isu biodiversity dengan isu lingkungan di belakangnya,” kata Dr Robert Nasi, peneliti senior CIFOR.

“Sebenarnya masalah biodiversity tidak kalah perlu dengan isu perubahan iklim dan pemanasan global. Tapi biodiversity kalah seksi, karena kalau pemanasan global dan perubahan iklim membuat orang ketakutan, langsung berpikir jangan-jangan rumah, harta bendaku, lemariku hilang,” kata Robert Nasi, ahli ekologi hutan asal Prancis. Kerusakan lingkungan yang menyebabkan rusaknya ekosistem, antara lain, kata peneliti hutan Indonesia asal Inggris, Douglas Sheil juga akibat interaksi manusia dengan alam. “Jadi kepunahan bukan hanya karena climate change atau global warming,” ujarnya.

Staf Center for International Forestry Research, Topo Santoso, menyatakan, pemidanaan pembalak liar jangan terjebak kerangka hukum Undang-Undang Nomor 41 Tahun 1999 tentang Kehutanan semata. Aparat penegak hukum harus berani menerapkan kerangka hukum tindak pidana korupsi, pencucian uang, kepabeanan, juga lingkungan hidup. Dengan cara itu, kelemahan UU Kehutanan teratasi, kata Toto selaku pembicara dalam seminar Penggunaan Instrumen Antikorupsi dan Anti-Pencucian Uang di Sektor Kehutanan di Jakarta, Selasa (29/6).