REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CIBINONG -- The Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI) will survey West Sulawesi and Papua by 2016 by participating in expeditions, Deputy of Life Science of LIPI Enny Sudarmonowati said here on Tuesday.
"LIPI plans to participate in the Indonesian Expedition that will explore Papua. It will also carry out an expedition in West Sulawesi because there is a data gap there," she added.
According to Sudarmonowati, LIPI will cover the data gap on biodiversity potentials that have not been explored. Data on biodiversity in Sulawesi and Kalimantan are still minimal.
She stated that LIPI Herbarium Bogoriense has collected some 900 thousand plants since 1841.
In addition, LIPI Zoologicum Bogoriense has collected approximately three million specimens since 1819, and some 725 kinds of bacteria, fungi and yeast are stored in the Indonesian Culture Collection (InaCC).
LIPI has conducted a number of expeditions in the 2014 to 2015 period, including the Mekongga Expedition in Southeast Sulawesi, Lengguru Expedition in the 'bird's neck' of Papua Island, Bioresources Enggano Expedition in Bengkulu, and Tambora Expedition in NTB.
Sudarmonowati further noted that results of the exploration will be followed up in the laboratory, and within five to ten years, the analysis can produce herbs or drugs that can benefit the community.
The discovery of new species of potential future sources of food such as the Enggano snake fruit (locally called salak) should certainly be considered, she remarked.
The expedition also found that the Bali snake fruit has fourteen variants, one of which can be cultivated as potential food and an ornamental plant because it is only one meter high.
Furthermore, Head of LIPI's Biology Research Center Witjaksono said Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands, has abundant biodiversity potentials.
Even though the first expedition in Indonesia was carried out in the 1700s, there is still a considerable data gap on biodiversity that has yet to be explored, he added.
"Several new species of plants and animals will be discovered on the new expeditions," Witjaksono affirmed.
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