Satellite view of Buru Island, Indonesia Photograph by USGS   Southeastern Asia: Island of Buru in Indonesia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   3,300 square miles (8,600 square kilometers) -- about half the size of Hawaii Vulnerable

· Land of Flying Mammals
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Land of Flying Mammals

Compared to other ecoregions in Indonesia, the rain forests of Buru have relatively few mammals. But three of the 23 species found here are large, fruit-eating bats found nowhere else.

Special Features

The surface geology of Buru is complex, encompassing a mix of older metamorphic rocks, younger volcanic material, and recent alluvium (deposits of sand and clay along waterways). The dominant trees in this moist forest are dipterocarps, with some specimens growing more than 100 feet (30 m) in height. Open forest, woodland, and savanna can also be found in this ecoregion. Some of these habitat types occur naturally, while others are a result of regrowth after an area has been cleared by human activity. The highest elevations feature a stunted forest of Dacrydium novoguineense trees.

	Although most bats rely on echolocation to "see" (whereby they emit high-pitched calls and listen for the echos that bounce off objects around them), flying foxes use their keen senses of sight and smell to locate food, which is usually fruit and flowers.

Wild Side

Three of the 23 mammal species known to exist in these moist forests are endemic: the Seram flying fox, Moluccan flying fox, and the lesser tube-nosed fruit bat. About 180 species of birds also live here. The blue-fronted lorikeet, black-lored parrot, Buru cuckoo-shrike, streaky-breasted jungle-flycatcher, and rufous-throated white-eye are just a few of the colorful species that can be found here. But these mountains are still largely unexplored. Who knows how many more animals are yet to be discovered?

Cause for Concern

Buru’s coastal lowland forests have been cleared, and burning has altered the vegetation on other parts of the island. But two large, contiguous blocks of habitat survive in the upland portion of this ecoregion, and current threats to them are minimal.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.