Biodiversity Discovered Bekantan On Curiak Island

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (Antaranews Kalsel) - Indonesian Biodiversity of Lambung Mangkurat University, led by its chairman Amalia Rezeki, discovered habitat and population of bekantan on Curiak Island, Anjir Muara, Barito Kuala District, South Kalimantan.


The island, which covering an area of ​​about seven hectares overgrown with typical swamp vegetation of mangrove, currently used as a mooring barge by a company. It turns out this island inhabited by a group of bekantan (proboscis monkeys) which population is estimated at 15, says Amalia Rezeki in Banjarmasin on Wednesday.

Proboscis is protected under Government Regulation No. 7 of 1999 and internationally included in the appendix I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

In addition, since 1990 proboscis monkey set as the mascot of South Kalimantan province, said Amalia Rezeki.

According to him, the finding of bekantan habitat is certainly a good news for environmentalists, considering that the proboscis monkey habitat continues to shrink due to forest conversion. Finally proboscis monkey habitat degradation occurs in the wild.

Kalimantan forest area in which the habitat of proboscis monkeys initially estimated 29,500 km2, and 40 percent of them have changed the function and only 41 percent are left in the conservation area.