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 Center for International Forestry Research based in Bogor, Indonesia.

Christopher Barr, a former CIFOR researcher, pointed to financial mismanagement and outright fraud in Indonesia’s Reforestation Fund as an example. He noted that during former Indonesian President Soeharto’s reign the country’s Reforestation Fund suffered losses of more than $5.2 billion – much of it to corruption and fraud. Although the current administration has taken steps to improve financial controls, hHundreds of millions more have been misappropriated or wasted on poorly managed projects in recent years.

Herry Purnomo, peneliti dari Center for International Forestry Research (Cifor), mengatakan Indonesia sudah pernah menghitung besaran dana REDD yang setimpal dengan kerugian ekonomi yang timbul akibat mekanisme REDD. “Namun, kurang komprehensif. Opportunity cost untuk masa depannya tidak ikut dihitung.”

Tahukah anda, sifat air laut sama dengan udara? Keduanya mirip. Kalau sirkulasi udara di daratan bergerak dari tekanan udara tinggi ke takanan rendah, sedangkan di laut, air bergerak dari lokasi yang kadar garamnya tinggi ke lokasi kadar garam rendah. “Dan pergerakan arus laut seperti ada saklarnya. Kalau kadar garamnya tinggi betul, arus air laut akan sangat cepat berputar. Tetapi ketika sampai pada kadar garam rendah dia akan berhenti, seakan-akan saklarnya di-switch off,” ujar Dr Daniel Murbiyarso, ilmuan senior Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) di sela-sel acara konferensi ilmiah Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) 2010 di Bali.

“Motivul pentru care Indonezia trece printr-o criz? atât de grav? este c? are o biodiversitate extrem de bogat?. Este probabil pe locul doi în ordinea importan?ei, dup? Brazilia, într-un clasament al biodiversit??ii” conform lui Terry Sunderland de la Centrul interna?ional pentru cercet?ri forestiere din Bagor (Indonezia). “Având în vedere c? arhipelagul indonezian num?r? 17.000 de insule, pe unele dintre acestea s-au dezvoltat o serie de ecosisteme unice”, adev?rate comori ale biodiversit??ii, a mai ad?ugat el.

“La crise est un terme trop souvent utilisé”, a indiqué Dr Terry Sunderland, du Centre pour les recherches forestières internationales basé à Bogor (CIFOR) et membre du comité organisateur de la conférence. “Toutefois, au regard de la biodiversité globale actuelle, je pense que ce terme est entièrement justifié”. La perte de la biodiversité est une bombe à retardement qui pourrait endommager grièvement les systèmes globaux qui maintiennent la vie sur la planète.

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.