With its wide range of natural habitats, rich plant and animal resources and high numbers of island endemics, Indonesia is recognized as a major world centre for biodiversity.

Although Indonesia covers only 1.3 percent of the earth’s land surface, it includes:

10 percent of the world’s flowering plant species 12 percent of the world’s mammal species 16 percent of all reptile and amphibian species 17 percent of the world’s bird species 25 percent or more of the world’s fish species

Indonesia’s species-rich forests harbour the world’s greatest diversity of palms, more than 400 species of dipterocarps (the most valuable commercial timber trees in Southeast Asia) and estimated 25,000 flowering plants as well as a rich and diverse fauna. Indonesia ranks first in the world for species richness for mammals (515 species, 36 percent endemic), first for swallowtail butterflies (121 species, 44 percent endemic), third for reptiles (600+ species), fourth for birds (1519 species, 28 percent endemic), fifth for amphibians (270 species) and seventh for flowering plants.

Indonesia’s great expanse of territorial waters and the richness of the Indo-West Pacific seas further add to the country’s biodiversity. Indonesia supports a rich variety of coastal and marine habitats. The extensive reef systems in the deep cleaar sees off Sulawesi and Maluku are among the world’s richest in species of corals, fishes and other reef organisms.

Many of Indonesia’s biological resources are economically important. Several plant species of global and national importance originated in Indonesia, including black pepper, cloves, sugar cane, citrus fruits and many other tropical fruits. More than 6000 species of plants and animals are utilized on a daily basis by Indonesian citizens, either harvested from the wild or cultivated. Seven thousand species of marina freshwater fish are the major sources of protein for the Indonesian people. Agriculture and fisheries are the mainstay of the nation’s subsistence economy. Numerous wild plants and animals are harvested for domestic or commercial consumption as food, handicrafts, medicines, fuel and building materials.

An estimated 40 million people are directly dependent on biodiversity for subsistence. Twelve million people live in and around forests and many more are dependent on coastal resources. It is the poorest rural people who are most dependent on biodiversity and natural habitats for their livelihoods and it is they who suffer first and most when those habitats are simplified, degraded or otherwise impoverished.

Indonesia’s biodiversity is the country’s greatest natural resources. Many sector of the nation’s economy are dependent directly and indirectly on the diversity of natural ecosystems and the environmental functions they protect. Conservation of biodiversity is crucial to the sustainability of sectors as diverse as forestry, agriculture and fisheries; health care; science; industry and tourism.