Ecoregional Assessment of Biological Diversity in East Kalimantan

East Kalimantan Ecoregional Assessment: Chapter 1 – Background & Analysis Process
or recreation parks (Bukit Soeharto and Pulau Sangalaki) and a Suaka Margasatwa, or game/
wildlife reserve (Pulau Semama).
Additionally, there are large
forested areas that have various
levels of protection. Wherever
possible, these protected forests,
hutan lindung (right), have been
included in the portfolio where
the option existed to choose
between areas of similar habitat
type and condition – one
protected, the other unprotected.
For the most part, hutan lindung
are forests that have been
designated, and ostensibly
protected, due to their greater than
40% slope – which makes them
impractical for current logging
practices in addition to having
critical watershed protection
values.
Important Bird Areas (from
Holmes et al. 2001)
Bird Life International identified
Important Bird Areas in Indonesia
that contain species globally
threatened, having a restricted
distribution, characteristic of a
specific biome, and occurring in
good population densities.
Figure D: Protected Areas of East Kalimantan
Ten areas (Figure E – sites outlined in yellow) were delimited as being important for birds in
East Kalimantan. These areas are 1) Gunung Beratus; 2) Hutan Samarinda-Balikpapan; 3)
Delta Mahakam; 4) Lahan Basah Mahakam Tengah; 5) Kutai; 6) Sangkulirang; 7)
Sebuku/Sembakung; 8) Kayan Menterang; 9) Ulu Telen and 10) Long Bangun.
There is a database of bird observations at Bird Life International, Bogor, on which these
areas are based. However, this database must be considered as nascent and requiring further
definition. The very general boundaries of these areas are interpreted from knowledge of
gross habitat types for bird assemblages and geography, and as such are imprecise.
11