Expedition to focus on birds, coral reefs

Expedition to focus on birds, coral reefs

JAKARTA (JP): Operation Wallacea, an environment and natural
conservation-oriented expedition, will collect information on the
birds and coral reefs of the eastern part of Sulawesi in June.

Ibnu Sutowo, President of the Wallacea Development Institute
(WDI) said last week the operation's main focus would be the bird
community on Buton Island and the marine life around the
Tukangbesi Islands.

"The final result will, hopefully, be a scientific book, which
is expected to be a valuable contribution to science as a whole
and to the environment and people in the area," he said.

He also pointed out the importance of the operation as a boost
for eco-tourism in Indonesia.

Operation Wallacea, funded by the Hongkong Bank's Care for
Nature Trust Fund, is also supported by the Wallacea Development
Institute Foundation and a number of experts from the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the ministry of forestry's
Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation
and Ecosurveys Ltd., an environmental consultant based in the UK
and Singapore.

The three-year operation was officially launched after the
signing of a cooperation agreement by Ibnu Sutowo, Tim Coles from
Ecosurveys Ltd., Kasijan Romimohtarto from LIPI, Soemarsono from
the ministry of forestry, Andi Mappi Sameng from the ministry of
Post and Telecommunications' Directorate General of Tourism and
Aca Sugandhy from the state ministry of environment.

The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Forestry
Djamaloedin Soeryohadikoesoemo and State Minister of Environment
Sarwono Kusumaatmadja.

Although the operation is mostly funded by the Hongkong Bank,
it is still in need of self-financing volunteers, who are willing
to live under expedition conditions.

According to WDI's public relations office, volunteers are not
required to be experts on Indonesian birds or coral reefs because
background information and training will be provided at the
expedition sites.

However, volunteers must have a strong interest in
conservation and birds for the bird survey expedition and have an
internationally recognized scuba diving qualification and logged
sufficient dives for the coral reef expedition. (pwn)