Ijen Crater, Java, Indonesia Photograph by John Morrison   Southeastern Asia: The islands of Java and Bali in Indonesia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   6,100 square miles (15,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Hawaii Critical/Endangered

· On the Slopes of Volcanoes
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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On the Slopes of Volcanoes

Java and Bali are islands born of fire. Created as the result of tectonic forces, these islands contain the most active volcanoes in the world. Within these islands’ dense green montane forests lives a wide variety of birds and mammals--many found nowhere else in the world.

Special Features

Evergreen rain forest, moist deciduous forest, and montane forests are the main forest types found in this ecoregion. The tree species found at any particular location depends on elevation, soils, and longitude. The ecoregion tends to become drier as one moves eastward. In the gradual transition from lower to upper montane forest, which begins at approximately 5,900 feet (1800 m), Aerobryum moss begins to become prevalent on all surfaces. Subalpine forest, found above 9,840 feet (3000 m), contains a single, species-poor layer of trees that also includes Rhododendron and Vaccinium shrubs. Edelweiss is a characteristic flowering plant of the subalpine zone.

	The Javan hawk-eagle was recently named the national bird of Indonesia, which has helped to focus attention on the species’ dwindling numbers. The species was once widely distributed throughout Java but is now reduced to about 100 pairs.

Wild Side

Wild dogs (also called dholes) and leopards are among the most distinctive of this ecoregion’s 100 species of mammals. Leopards are the most widely distributed of the big cats. They are able to take down prey that is double or triple its weight. The steep terrain offers abundant waterfalls, which are excellent nesting areas for waterfall swifts who live behind the falls. One mammal--the Javan tailless fruit bat (Megaerops kusnotoi)--is endemic to these montane forests. The number of bird species exceeds 215 and includes 15 species that are found nowhere else on Earth. Two bird species are considered threatened: the endangered Javan hawk-eagle and the vulnerable Javan scops-owl. Other notable birds include the mountain serin, the green-winged bulbul, and the flame-fronted barbet.

Cause for Concern

Nearly three-quarters of the ecoregion’s natural habitat has been cleared by a rapidly expanding population, which is increasingly forced into these marginal lands. The remaining forest is scattered throughout the landscape as small patches, mainly restricted to the steep slopes of the volcanoes.

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