Naturalist's house in ruin

TERNATE, Maluku: The house of 19th century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace in this North Maluku regency is in ruin because of neglect, Antara reported.

The Ministry of Education and Culture and local authorities are responsible for maintaining the historical house where Wallace created an imaginary line connecting the eastern Philippines, Bali and Lombok where there are similar animal species.

Wallace reportedly thought of this line while he was in the house in bed with malaria.

Wallace, 1823-1913, spent eight years in the archipelago studying its flora and fauna, collecting more than 125,000 specimens and writing several books. One book, The Malaya Archipelago, published 1869, expounded his theory about the imaginary line.

Syafruddin Mohammad from the local tourist office lamented the neglect, saying that the piece of heritage should have been preserved better as a tourist attraction. (swe)