Sulawesi Info
Although not the largest island in Indonesia, Sulawesi is the perfect blend and off course an evolutionary melting pot between two large continents: Asia (including Kalimantan) and Australia (including Papua). Many of Sulawesi’s species can trace their ancestry to these continents. Because it has been isolated from these large landmasses for millions of years, however, the island has seen the evolution of many species not found elsewhere.
Although Kalimantan and Sulawesi are not separated by any significant physical barrier, the birds and mammals of these two islands are different. Sulawesi has the highest level of mammal endemism in Asia and is a major component of the Wallacea Biodiversity Hotspot as designated by Conservation International. Many of these species may be seen in Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, Bogani Nani Warta-bone (formerly known as Dumoga Bone) National Park and Lore Lindu Park.
Of the 127 mammal species found on the island, 79 are found nowhere else in the world. There are 19 endangered species, including the Babirusa, a type of pig whose teeth grow upwards, piercing the skull, the Anoa, a kind of violent dwarf buffalo, the black tailless Macaque, and the Tarsier (tarsius spectrum - the world’s smallest primate) which can turn its head 180 degrees and has a body length of just 10 cm.
Snakes are very plentiful in Lore Lindu. There are 68 species in the park, including the largest snake in the world, the reticulated python which has been known to eat people. The python is found throughout South-East Asia, but the biggest one ever recorded - 30 feet [9 meters] from head to tail - was found in Sulawesi.
Of its 227 bird species, 77 are found only in Sulawesi, such as the endangered Maleo bird which buries its single 250 gram egg in hot sand near geothermal springs, and incubates in mounds of soil warmed by sunlight, hot springs or volcanic vents, or the brightly-colored Red-knobbed Hornbill which can signal rain. The giant Allo, with a five-foot (1.5-meter) wing span, has even more unusual nesting habits - the male, helped by the female, builds a mud wall to close her in a hollow tree trunk, leaving a slit where he can slip her food. She’s shut in until the nesting season is over. Their loud cries sound like harsh laughter, and give an eerie resonance to an already haunting place.
From the botanical standpoint the lines of descent are less clear. Sulawesi’s plants appear to be more closely related to those of other drier parts of the archipelago. The predominant trees in the lower montane forests of this eco-region are oaks and chestnuts. As you move higher, more and more conifers are seen. The highest peaks have sub-alpine forests with smaller trees, whose branches are covered in lichen. Shrubs, colorful herbs, and grasses blanket the ground at the higher elevations. Several high-quality woods can be found in the nature reserves, such as ebony, ironwood, linggua, gopasa, nantu, meranti, etc. Rattan and colorful orchids, as well as various wild palms and other plant species, grow in abundance in the forests throughout the region.
Sulawesi is home to countless areas of rainforest, beautiful lakes and an astonishing 11 active volcanoes. Its high volcanic lakes have also produced isolated freshwater ecologies, with each lake supporting its own unique species. Some of the most extensive cave systems in Indonesia can be found on the island, inhabited by species of blind shrimp, long-antennae crickets, giant spiders, bats and cave swallows.
Although the forests of Sulawesi have so far been left relatively intact, logging pressures are increasing dramatically. In addition, it’s becoming more and more common for people to burn the forest to clear land for agriculture. More than half of this eco-region’s original forest has been cleared, with only a few fairly large tracts remaining. Agriculture, irrigation schemes, quarrying, and human-induced fire are ongoing threats to native forests. Repeated burnings have resulted in permanent grasslands in some areas and savannas with fire-resistant trees in others.
Sulawesi’s incredible wealth of indigenous wildlife is also threatened by loss of habitat through farming, hunting, and most recently, the growth of gold-mining. Miners refine gold using mercury, and then indiscriminately dump the left-over chemicals into streams and rivers, tainting water used by both humans and animals. As the mining shows no sign of diminishing, more and more living beings are at risk of mercury poisoning.
One of the most important lakes in the island is Lake Motano in Sorowako, South Sulawesi, under whose shores there are large deposits of nickel. Mining for this metal causes pollution and destroys habitat. Beside this lake is located the Canadian-owned Inco Nickel mine, which has been there for over 30 years. Lake Motano, created millions of years ago, is the deepest lake in South-East Asia. It supports a range of unique species, as well as providing food, sanitation and a home for lake-shore communities. Commercial fishing, industrial development, and the introduction of non-native species are among the main threats to this eco-region.
Sharks, sea-turtles, dolphins, raja laut (the coelacanth, an ancient fish pre-dating the dinosaurs) and more than 450 species of coral are just some of the creatures that thrive in the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas. Surrounded by Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, this eco-region is one of the richest marine environments on Earth.
Destructive fishing techniques - especially those using dynamite and cyanide - are a major threat to the marine resources here. Although these destructive behaviors have been practised since colonial times, the techniques and methods have undergone significant development. In the early days, the destructive materials were made of natural ingredients (e.g. explosive powder, locally known as serbuk kuning, stuffed into a dry coconut shell). Now the techniques include the use of dynamite made of crop fertilizer stuffed into a soft-drink bottle. In addition, instead of throwing the bomb into the sea water, a detonator is now frequently used. Rapid coastal development and pollution are a permanent nightmare for the oceans and its populations.
Lore Lindu, on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi, is a forest with secrets. There are birds that laugh like people and ancient granite carvings, called megaliths that no one can explain. The megaliths vary in size from a few inches to 15 feet (4.5 meters) high. No one knows who carved them, when, or why. Only now are the existence and location of the megaliths being formally documented. Nature Conservancy is helping Indonesian park officials to find and protect the carvings, as well as the forest around them. So far more than 400 of these carvings have been found in and around the park.
The Donor Theme of the Sulawesi GIS provides information about various donor projects and programs currently ongoing in Sulawesi.
Through this theme users can find location of donor projects and programs, as well as links to key information describing these initiatives in more detail.
The first version of Sulawesi GIS provides information about the following donor organizations:
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID)
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Australian’s Overseas Aid Program (AusAID)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB)
The World Bank (WB)
For centuries Sulawesi has been divided into various kingdoms. By the 16th century, Makassar had become Sulawesi’s major port and centre of the powerful Gowa and Tallo sultanates which between them had a series of 11 fortresses and strongholds and a fortified sea wall which extended along the coast. Sulawesi’s colorful history is the story of spices and foreign merchants, of mariners and sultans, and of foreign powers wresting control of the spice trade. Much of South Sulawesi’s early history was written in old texts that can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries.
In 1511 the Portuguese and Spanish came here to spread Christianity and to trade. They found Makassar a thriving cosmopolitan entrepot where Chinese, Arabs, Indians, Siamese, Javanese, and Malays came to trade their manufactured metal goods and fine textiles for precious pearls, gold, copper, camphor and, of course, the invaluable spices - nutmeg, cloves and mace - which were brought from the interior and from the neighboring Spice Islands, the present day Maluku.
The Dutch came in the 1600s, expelled the Portuguese and occupied the rich and prosperous island. Between 1666 and 1669 they conquered the natives in the Makasar War and established themselves as colonialists.
The arrival of the Dutch altered events dramatically. Gradually, in defiance of the Dutch, the Arabs, Malays and Bugis returned to trade outside the grim fortress walls and later also the Chinese. The town again became a collecting point for the produce of eastern Indonesia - the copra, rattan, pearls, trepang and sandalwood and the famous oil made from Bado nuts used in Europe as men’s hair dressing - hence the anti-macassars (embroidered cloths placed at head rests of upholstered chairs).
In 1960 after independence, under Sukarno, Sulawesi was divided into two provinces, North and South. Four years later, two more provinces were created — Central Sulawesi was separated from North Sulawesi, and South-East Sulawesi was separated from South Sulawesi. In 2000, the new province of Gorontalo was created. It is one of oldest cities in Sulawesi and used to form part of North Sulawesi. It was followed by West Sulawesi (in 2004). Thus, today Sulawesi is made up of 6 provinces, namely South Sulawesi (the most populated, containing Makasar, the largest city in the island), South-East Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, Gorontalo and North Sulawesi.
While coping with the aftermath of the 1997 economic crisis, Sulawesi has been upgrading its social conditions. This can be seen in its health and education figures. In 2002, health conditions showed an overall improvement when compared with figures from 1999. For example, life expectancy in North Sulawesi (the highest in the island) was 70.9 years (up from 68.1) whereas Central Sulawesi (the lowest) was 63.3 (below the national average of 66.2). This is a cause for concern because the Central Sulawesi region is not poor; in fact it has the highest ranking in GRDP.
Life is getting easier in Sulawesi, even though there is still a lot of poverty and hunger in every region. Unfortunately, although it shows a slight improvement in coping with malnutrition, Sulawesi is still under the national average except in North Sulawesi (21.9 in 2002, improved from 25.8 in 1999). Meanwhile Gorontalo suffers the worst conditions with a malnutrition rate of about 42% in children under 5 years old. This year alone nearly 200 children were found suffering from protein-calory malnutrition (marasmic kwashiorkor). However, in general, a slight improvement in the condition has been noted.
Due to the financial crisis, all sectors uniformly experienced an increase in poverty incidence between February 1996 and February 1999, although some export industries in South Sulawesi and North Sulawesi experienced a short-term boom due to exchange rate effects. In 2002, the HPI declined slowly but open unemployment was still high. In South Sulawesi and South-East Sulawesi HPI score above the national HPI average while North Sulawesi shows the highest percentage of open unemployment (15%), followed by South Sulawesi (14.4%), while the lowest is Central Sulawesi (9.6%).
Education is still performing under the national average in Sulawesi. School participation in the 9 year basic education programme is relatively low compared to the average. The highest participation can be found in North Sulawesi (93.9%) with an average of 96.1% for 7-12-year-olds (elementary school). The worst rate for school drop out in 7-15-year-olds is 12.7% (highest in Gorontalo), while nationally it’s only 2.8%.
While in North Sulawesi the situation is relatively secure, the Central Sulawesi region is more volatile and clashes between groups are an ongoing threat. Environmental destruction due to mining (mainly gold) remains the top issue in this area since many researchers have found high levels of pollution in and around the mining sites.
References:
BPS-Statistic Indonesia et al., “Indonesia Human Development Report 2004: The Economics of Democracy: financing Human Development in Indonesia”, Jakarta: BPS-Statistic Indonesia, Bappenas and UNDP Indonesia, 2004
JICA, “Poverty Profile Executive Summary Republic of Indonesia”, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, February 2001
Tadjoeddin, Mohammad Zulfan; “Social Violence in the Context of Transition: The case of Indonesia 1990-2001: working paper: 02/01- E”, Jakarta: UNSFIR, April 2002
UNDP, “Indonesia Progress Report on the Millenium Development Goals”, online: http://www.undp.or.id/pubs/imdg2004/ , 2005
World Bank, “Indonesia Country Brief”, Jakarta: World Bank, August 8, 2003
Indonesia - Government of Makasar, “Issues Paper prepared for the Makassar Regional Private Sector Forum”, Makasar: The Municipal Government of Makassar and the World Bank, June 25, 2003
The development of a nation requires a certain critical mass in education; in other words, a significant percentage of the population needs to have a level of education adequate for supporting rapid economic and social development. Indonesia’s Nine-Year Compulsory Basic Education Programme aims to develop this critical mass and equip society with basic knowledge and skills - whether for going on to higher levels of education, earning a living, making choices or being able to benefit from technological advances and compete with other countries.
Unfortunately, disparities in Sulawesi lead to quite disappointing figures. According to 2004 statistics, the total population with secondary level education (high school and above) averages 20.7% while in North Sulawesi it is 28.62 % and in South-East Sulawesi it is 21.31%, while the lowest educated population is concentrated in Central Sulawesi (18.37 %).
Educational level correlates highly with welfare. In 1999, 87 percent of the poor had primary school education or lower. The Net Enrolment Ratios (NER) of several provinces are still below 60 per cent including Central Sulawesi, Gorontalo, South Sulawesi and South-East Sulawesi (see figures below). Participation in the 9 year basic education programme is relatively low compared to the average. The highest level of participation is found in North Sulawesi (93.9%) where it averages 96.1% for the 7-12 year age group (elementary school). Bad rates of school drop-out are seen in children between 7 and 15, reaching as high as 12.7% (highest in Gorontalo) while the national figure is only 2.8%.
References:
JICA, “Poverty Profile Executive Summary Republic of Indonesia”, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, February 2001
UNDP, “Indonesia Progress Report on the Millenium Development Goals”, online: http://www.undp.or.id/pubs/imdg2004/ , 2005