Flora of Indonesia
The flora consists of many unique varieties of tropical plants. Blessed with a tropical climate and roughly 17,000 islands, Indonesia is the nation with the second highest biodiversity in the world. The flora of Indonesia reflects an intermingling of Asian, Australian and unique, Indonesian lineages. This is due to the geography of Indonesia, located between the aforementioned continents. The archipelago consists of a variety of regions, from the
Origins of Indonesian Flora
The origin of flora in Indonesia is a result of
Asian lineages in Indonesia are the result of the reformation of the Laurasia supercontinent, which existed after the break-up of Rodinia around 1 billion years ago. Around 200 million years ago, the Laurasian supercontinent split completely, forming the continents of Laurentia (now the Americas) and Eurasia. Despite this separation, the mainland of the Eurasian continent was not separated completely from the Indonesian archipelago. As a result, organisms from the Eurasian mainland could colonize the archipelago; and, under different environmental pressures, new species diverged.
In the nineteenth century, Alfred Russel Wallace proposed the idea of the Wallace Line, which is a line that divides Indonesian archipelago into two regions, the Asian biogeographical region (Sundaland) and the Australasian biogeographical Region (Wallacea). The line runs through the Indonesian Archipelago, between Borneo and Sulawesi (Celebes); and between Bali and Lombok.[3]
The Indonesian archipelago, home of the
During the history of Indonesia, many foreign plants from
Vegetation Types
Indonesia's terrestrial flora can be divided into several vegetation groups. The most important factor is rainfall, followed by temperature, which both affect water availability. The distribution of Indonesian flora is dominated by broadleaf evergreen forests. This is mostly seen in the regions where population density is still relatively low, such as Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, and West Papua. On Java and Bali, the vegetation is dominated by cultivated plants. Swamp forests, mangrove, and Nypa fruticans forests are found along the coast. In the mountainous regions, subalpine and alpine vegetation is dominant. In the lesser Sunda islands, where rainfall is not as plentiful as in other parts of Indonesia, grasslands are regularly seen.
Biodiversity
According to the
Sundaland
Sundaland, which is located on the west part of the
At least 117 plant genera are endemic to this biodiversity hotspot. 59 of them are found in Borneo and 17 in Sumatra. Unique plants from this region are similar to ones from the Asian continent, examples include
Wallacea
It is
Papua Barat and Papua
The flora of this region is influenced by the Australian continent. This region contains a wide array of environments, from snow-capped mountains, lowland wetlands, to tropical marine environment. This geographical variation results in a large diversity of plant species. In 2020, a group of 99 researchers published a checklist of the flora of New Guinea, presenting a total number of 13,634 species that occur on the island with 7,616 species occurring in the Indonesian part, the Papua Barat and Papua Provinces.[6] An astonishing 60-90% of them may be endemic to New Guinea and according to recent estimation the endemic plants encompasses 68% of the total known species.[7] This region has been poorly explored so the actual number of endemic species is unknown.
Indonesia's National Flowers
National Love Flora and Fauna Day
To build interest and awareness for Indonesian flora and fauna, the government declared the 5th of November as National Love Flora and Fauna Day. Annually there are postage stamps released in honor of this holiday. They depict plants and animals that are endemic or unique to a specific region or a province of Indonesia.
Current Issues
According to the Indonesian department of forestry, there are currently 174 plants endemic to Indonesia listed as endangered species.[17]
See also
- List of Indonesian floral emblems
- List of national parks of Indonesia
- Geography of Indonesia
- Fauna of Indonesia
- The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies
References
- ^ "Flora-The Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia in New Zealand". The Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia (Administrator). Retrieved 1 May 2007.
- ^ "Indonesia - Flora". Encyclopedia of the Nations. Retrieved 12 October 2006.
- ^ Zubi, Teresa (25 August 2006). "The Wallacea Line". Retrieved 12 October 2006.
- ^ "Biodiversity". Archived from the original on 1 October 2002. Retrieved 12 October 2006.
- ^ "UNESCO- Lorentz National Park". Retrieved 12 October 2006.
- S2CID 220980697.
- S2CID 220980697.
- ^ Ardyanto, Anton (15 June 2016). "3 Indonesia National Flowers". Talking Indonesia. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "ASEAN National Flowers". ASEAN. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2007.
- ^ "ASEANWEB – ASEAN National Flowers". Asean.org. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ "Global Forest Watch: Indonesia". Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
- ^ "Forensic Architecture". forensic-architecture.org. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Explainer: What is ecocide?". Eco-Business. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ISBN 978-2-38476-045-9
- ^ Alberro, Heather; Daniele, Luigi (29 June 2021). "Ecocide: why establishing a new international crime would be a step towards interspecies justice". The Conversation. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ISSN 1743-7601.
- ^ "Indonesian Departement of Forestry". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2006.