Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia Photograph by © WWF-Canon/Mauri RAUTKARI   Southeastern Asia: Island of Sumatra in Indonesia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests   100,200 square miles (259,500 square kilometers) -- about the size of Nebraska and West Virginia combined Critical/Endangered

· Flowering Rain Forests
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Flowering Rain Forests

Like so many flowers, this ecoregion’s Rafflesia blossoms have a distinctive aroma. But these flowers would not make an appealing bouquet. They smell like rotten meat -- all the better to attract the flies that pollinate them. The Rafflesia is just one of a long list of animal and plant species that make up this ecoregion’s diverse web of life.

Special Features

These forests are considered among the most diverse on earth. Large, buttressed dipterocarp trees are entwined with woody climbers and epiphytes. More than 100 species of figs grow here too, and each species is pollinated exclusively by a single species of fig wasp. The Rafflesia plant produces the largest flower in the world -- up to 3.3 feet (1 m) wide. Also found here is Amorphophallus titanium, the world’s tallest flower at nearly 7 feet (2 m) in height. It, too, exudes a fetid odor that attracts pollinators.

	The slow loris is an excellent tree climber. It can hang by its hind feet like a sloth, freeing both hands for eating insects, small bird eggs, and fruit.

Wild Side

The animals of Sumatra seem to divide themselves between two regions, one to the north of Lake Toba and one to the south. For example, 17 bird species can be found only north of the lake, and 10 are restricted to the south. The white-handed gibbon is found to the north, while the dark-handed gibbon is found only to the south. Several endangered mammals can be found throughout the region. These include the Malayan tapir, the largest of the world’s four tapir species; the two-horned Sumatran rhinoceros, whose numbers are dwindling; the Asian elephant, which is divided into a few small populations; and the Sumatran tiger, which is Indonesia’s largest predator and which is prey itself to the wildlife trade. Numerous primate species live in the trees, including several species of leaf monkey, such as the white-fronted leaf monkey, silvered-leaf monkey, banded-leaf monkey, and the slow loris and 2 species of macaques. More than 450 types of birds can be spotted here as well, including such rare species as the crested argus pheasant, the great hornbill, and the Simeulue scops owl.

Cause for Concern

This ecoregion’s forests are in critical condition; less than one third of the native forests remain. Most of this habitat has been lost to agricultural expansion, notably oil palm plantations and logging. Even protected areas are not safe. Lack of government controls has allowed these areas to be invaded and exploited for their natural resources.

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