Biodiversity Facts

Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.

Indonesia’s archipelago comprises approximately 17,000 islands, of which around 990 are permanently inhabited. There are 7 major biogeographic regions in Indonesia, centered on the major islands and their surrounding seas. Conservation International considers Indonesia to be one of the 17 “megadiverse” countries, with 2 of the world’s 25 “hotspots”, 18 World Wildlife Fund’s “Global 200” ecoregions and 24 of Bird Life International’s “Endemic Bird Areas”. It also possesses 10% of the world’s flowering species (estimated 25,000 flowering plants, 55% endemic) and ranks as one of the world’s centers for agrobiodiversity of plant cultivars and domesticated livestock. For fauna diversity, about 12% of the world’s mammals (515 species) occur in Indonesia, ranking it second, after Brazil, at the global level. About 16% of the world’s reptiles (781 species) and 35 species of primate place Indonesia fourth in the world. Further, 17% of the total species of birds (1,592 species) and 270 species of amphibians place Indonesia in the fifth and sixth ranks, respectively, in the world.

Indonesia has 566 national parks covering 36,069,368.04 million ha which consist of 490 terrestrial protected areas (22,540,170.38 ha) and 76 marine protected areas (13,529,197.66 ha). The terrestrial protected areas include 43 National Parks, 239 Nature Reserves, 70 Game Reserves, 13 Hunting Parks, 22 Grand Forest Parks, and 103 Nature Tourism Parks. Marine protected areas comprise 4,589,006.10 ha which are managed by the local government. Forests in Indonesia cover 88,495,000 ha and have rich biodiversity, particularly lowland forests.

It is estimated that 40 million Indonesians living in rural areas rely on biodiversity for their subsistence needs. Wetland ecosystems in small islands such as mangrove, coral reef, and sea grass plain are important for local communities, especially traditional fishermen. According to a survey conducted in 2006, only 27% of mangrove in Indonesia is in good condition, 48% in slightly damaged condition and 23% in damaged condition. The broader sea grass plain in Indonesia is estimated to reach 30,000 km2, 10% of which has been damaged. The damaged rate of coral reefs in Indonesia reached 40% in 2006, mainly caused by destructive fishing practices.