Banjar, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The South Kalimantan Forestry Office is conserving at least 110 species of orchids at the Sultan Adam Forest Park in Banjar district.
"We are conserving types of orchids at the forest park as they are quite rare," head of the technical implementation unit (UPT) of the park, Ainun Jariah, said here on Wednesday.
At first, there were only about 58 species of Meratus orchids, which were discovered in 24 villages around the forest, she informed.
"Now, there are more than a hundred orchid species that we are conserving at Sultan Adam Forest Park," she said.
The Sultan Adam Orchid Conservation Garden was built in 2021, she informed. The surrounding forest itself is functioning as a nature conservation area for animals and plants.
In developing and procuring the facilities and infrastructure at the orchid garden, the South Kalimantan Forestry Office involved several partners, she informed.
The orchid garden is being maintained by officers and guards from the forest park, she said.
According to her, the orchid conservation garden is an important part of the Meratus Geopark site, which is being promoted by the provincial government.
The Meratus Geopark is aiming to realize geological preservation, biodiversity, and cultural diversity in order to create prosperity, welfare, and sustainability for the people.
Jariah said that Sultan Adam Forest Park is a strategic location for the orchid conservation garden because it is a storehouse of the history of the province.
"There is rich biodiversity in the forest park that we have maintained and cultivated," she added.
She informed that Sultan Adam Forest Park spans an area of 113 thousand hectares and covers Banjar District and some parts of Tanah Laut District.
She said she expects the media to promote the forest park as a geo-heritage that produces rare species of orchids.
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