Dumoga National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia Photograph by © WWF-Canon/William F. RODENBURG   Indonesia: Island of Sulawesi Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   44,900 square miles (116,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of Pennsylvania Relatively Stable/Intact

· Star Species
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Star Species

North of Australia, the "star" shaped island of Sulawesi and its four surrounding islands are known for their distinctive plants and wildlife. Isolation from other landforms has lead to the evolution of plants and wildlife that can survive better in the diverse habitats offered by these islands. The species in this ecoregion can be seen as relatives of species from far-away places like Australia and Asia. This mixing has lead to a truly unique mammal community with huge tusked, fruit-eating pigs, a dwarf buffalo, four species of monkeys, and cuscuses.

Special Features

Although Sulawesi is primarily mountainous, it does contain some lowland areas, as do all of the islands in this ecoregion. Lowland habitats are a mix of forest types that develop to best suit the location where they grow. Lowlands, however, are mainly tropical lowland evergreen and semi-evergreen rainforests, dominated by seven species of dipterocarp trees with palms and ebonies in dense clumps also present. Other small areas of freshwater swamp forest contain grassy areas near open water, with palms and pandans on firmer ground. Carnivorous pitcher plants are quite common. Peat swamp forest is also present with trees, sedges, climbing rattan, and epiphytic ant-ferns. Karst (limestone) topography, where trees are sparse, slopes are steep, and calcium-tolerant plant communities with habitat-restricted snails and large swallowtail butterflies, have also developed on the islands.

	The female reticulated python lays a large number of eggs and incubates them by coiling around them and "shivering." These muscle contractions maintain her body temperature at 10 to 12 degrees above the surrounding air temperature, which helps the eggs to develop.

Wild Side

Endemic mammal species include marsupials like the peleng cuscus and dwarf cuscus, as well as primates like the crested macaque, moor macaque, and booted macaque. The lowland anoa, spectral tarsier, and babirusa are also among this ecoregion’s interesting endemic mammals. The anoa, for instance, is a miniature water buffalo that lives only in undisturbed forests. Three species of large reptiles can be found in these forests, too: the crocodile, sailfin lizard, and reticulated python. Birds are plentiful--about 180 species strong. Maleo, snoring rail, cerulean paradise-flycatcher, and elegant sunbird are just a few of the unique names attached to the colorful birds of this ecoregion.

Cause for Concern

More than half of this ecoregion’s original forest has been cleared, with only a few fairly large tracts remaining. Agriculture, irrigation schemes, quarrying, and human-induced fire are ongoing threats to native forests. Repeated burnings have resulted in permanent grasslands in some areas and savannas with fire-resistant trees in others.

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