Depok, August 24th 2023. Indonesia has a high biodiversity wealth, which makes it known as a mega diversity country. Biodiversity refers to the variation in living resources at the ecosystem, species and genetic levels. This biodiversity wealth is maintained through a variety of natural landscapes that function as natural habitats for biodiversity. However, recent climate change has had an impact on biodiversity conservation efforts.
Through a webinar entitled “Climate Change and Its Impact on Biodiversity Conservation in Indonesia”, the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) for Security, Safety, Health and Environment (K3L), Universitas Indonesia (UI) invited resource persons to review an overview of biodiversity conservation carried out in Indonesia. The discussion, which was held on 22nd-23rd of August 2023, was broadcasted live via the Zoom Meeting channel.
The four speakers at the webinar were three lecturers from the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) UI, namely Dr. Nurul L. Winarni, Dr. Luthfiralda Sjahfirdi, M.Biomed., and Dr. Windri Handayani, M.Si.; and Manager of the Sustainable Landscapes Program, Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia, Dr. Ir. Titiek Setyawati, M.Sc.
Dr. Luthfiralda Sjahfirdi said that the conservation that was carried out is an effort to preserve flora and fauna which aims to maintain the existence of animal and plant populations in an ecosystem. This conservation effort is implemented in areas that have unique characteristics, such as inhabited by rare and endemic species, or are threatened with extinction, or have great potential for use if preserved.
There are two methods of natural resource conservation, namely in-situ and ex-situ methods. In-situ conservation is a flora/fauna conservation activity carried out in natural habitat areas, such as nature reserve areas (nature reserves and wildlife reserves) or nature conservation areas (national parks, grand forest parks, and nature tourism parks). Meanwhile, ex-situ conservation is a flora/fauna conservation activity carried out outside the area, for example a botanical garden, zoo, or safari park.
According to Dr. Windri, Indonesia as one of the regions with the highest biodiversity levels in the world plays an important role in conserving various types of flora that are threatened with extinction, especially if these flora are endemic and difficult to find in other regions. There are at least two biodiversity values in flora, namely visible values (medicine, agriculture, ecotourism) and invisible values (climate regulation, preventing soil erosion, providing clean water). Therefore, the use of flora in Indonesia must be carried out by prioritizing conservation principles to ensure the sustainability of commercialized flora species.
Not only flora, conservation is also needed to maintain the sustainability of fauna. Dr. Nurul saw that there is a very significant impact of climate change on the biodiversity of flora and fauna. Climate change threatens the loss of animal habitats, changes in the distribution of plants and animals, changes in abundance, and changes in phenology (breeding, migration, and so on).
Dr. Nurul gave an example of the impact of the deforestation case. Deforestation causes changes in rainfall and increases the chances of forest fires. This is because the plants that function to protect the forest from the sun’s heat are lost, resulting in drought. If the forest experiences severe fires, various types of fauna will lose their habitat and they will migrate to other places. The massive distribution of plant and animal species also changes the characteristics of biomes and the structure and function of ecosystems, so that the supply of oxygen, clean water, food, medicines, and disaster protection also changes.
The relation of climate change to all aspects of human needs is closely related to the points in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Climate Action in point 13 of the SGDs actually has an effect on other SDGs points, namely point 2 Zero Hunger, point 3 Good Health and Well-Being, point 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, point 7 Affordable and Clean Energy, the 14th point Life Below Water, and the 15th point Life on Land .
In addition, the challenge of preserving biodiversity is also faced by people who live in urban areas. Forest conservation and the existence of green space in urban areas is a mandate of law that must be consistently fought for. In this case, Dr. Titiek said that humans must be willing to live side by side with the animals and plants around them.
“The development of the National Capital Region (IKN) with the concept of ‘forest city’ which is being planned by the government must ensure the availability of space between humans and animals and plants. This is because the concept of a forest city is defined as living side by side with the forest dwellers themselves,” said Dr. Titiek.
