Halmahera, Indonesia Photograph by Vincent Roelofs   Southeastern Asia: Islands of Halmahera, Moratai, and Obi in Indonesia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   10,400 square miles (26,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Maryland Relatively Stable/Intact

· Land of Forest and Spices
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Land of Forest and Spices

This ecoregion encompasses the mountainous rain forests of Halmahera, Morotai, Obi, and other islands in the northeastern Indonesian archipelago. For centuries these tropical islands, once known as the Spice Islands, have been cultivated for cloves and other spices. Although the forests of this ecoregion have fallen victim to spice cultivation and logging, large blocks of habitat remain.

Special Features

These islands have a geologically violent past. Halmahera was created when two islands collided one to two million years ago. Volcanic rocks, raised coral reefs, and fragments of continental crust combine to form a complex topography. Most of the still-intact habitat in this ecoregion is semi-evergreen rain forest, characterized by dipterocarp species. Trees often reach nearly 100 feet (30 m) in height and are entwined with thick-stemmed vines, called lianas, and woody epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants).

	The invisible rail is not really invisible, of course, but it is rarely seen because it lives in dense, impenetrable swamps and thickets. Now this flightless bird is threatened by habitat loss.

Wild Side

Although the overall biodiversity of this ecoregion is low, these islands have a high number of endemic species. Of only 38 mammal species, six are endemic to the ecoregion, including the Bisa rat, masked flying fox, and three species of cuscus--the Moluccan cuscus, Obi cuscus, and Gebe cuscus. Like kangaroos, cuscuses are marsupials, and females have pouches to carry their young. Cuscuses are hard to see in the wild because they live high in trees and move slowly about at night. Many more bird species than mammals can be found here--215 in all--with 26 species that are endemic. Four endemics are considered vulnerable: the invisible rail, caranculated fruit-dove, chattering lory, and white cockatoo. The ecoregion also harbors the world’s largest bee, Chalocodoma pluto, which measures about 1½ inches (4 cm) long.

Cause for Concern

Cloves and other spices have been aggressively cultivated from the rich volcanic soils of certain islands in this chain for hundreds of years. Commercial logging also has depleted the forests, especially on Halmahera and Morotai. However, nearly 80 percent of this ecoregion’s native forests still exist. Extensive blocks of habitat still cover all the islands in the chain.

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