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Habitat Conservation and the Titan Arum Indonesia's Rainforests Facing Near Total Destruction The Titan Arum flower, Amorphophallus titanum, is native to the equatorial rain forests of Sumatra, Indonesia, where it grows on fertile, well-drained, hill slopes adjacent to rivers and streams. The plant is sometimes found in secondary forest and at the edge of farmland. No one knows how common the titan arum is in the wild, though most experts suspect it is endangered. Although Indonesia occupies only 1.3% of the world's land area, it possesses 10% of the world's flowering plant species, 12% of all mammal species, 17% of all reptile and amphibian species and 17% of all bird species. Indonesia’s rainforests provide habitats for species such as the orangutan, Sumatran tiger and Asian elephant; as well as a home for millions of people. Tragically, this amazing biodiversity and ecological complexity are severely threatened. Scientists estimate that the forest habitat of the Titan Arum is likely to vanish from Sumatra by the year 2005. The rare plant's existence in the wild is threatened by several factors, including unrestrained illegal logging, forest over-exploitation and the disappearance of animals such as the rhinoceros hornbill bird (Beceros rhinoceros) which help spread its seeds. Indonesia has now lost 72% of its original rainforest cover and some two million hectares of rainforests continue to be deforested a year - an area larger than the state of Connecticut. Illegal logging, conversion of forest to agricultural land, forest fires and population growth are causing deforestation on an unprecedented scale and may cause the nation's forests to disappear by 2010. Massive illegal logging operations even threaten national parks such as the Leuser Ecosystem in northern Sumatra, home of the world's largest natural orangutan population. Indonesia's illegal logging industry is estimated to be worth around US$5 billion per year. Most of the timber winds up in China, Europe, and the United States. Earlier this year, Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri called for a temporary moratorium on logging in Indonesia in an effort to halt illegal logging and save what’s left of the country’s remaining forests. Please take a moment to share with the President your thoughts regarding your experience, having viewed the charms of the Titan Arum, and the importance of conserving Indonesia’s rainforests. |
Visitors gather to view the 98-inch-tall Titan
Arum nicknamed "Big Bucky," which bloomed
June 9, 2005. 
Illustration: Kandis Elliot This illustration shows Titan Arum in bud, left, and full bloom, center. At the base of the spadix (the fleshy central column) are over a thousand tiny flowers. If pollinated, these flowers will produce a huge ball of bright red berries, right. |
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| Titan Arum home | University Communications |
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File last updated: July 20, 2005 |