nature travel, wildlife tours, adventure travel and general travel to Thailand, Indonesia and Southeast Asia

PROFAUNA INDONESIA

Indonesia has one of the most diverse faunas in the world, and all of it falls within two of Conservation International's Biodiversity Hotspots: Sundaland (Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Bali) and Wallacea (Sulawesi, Lombok and other islands). There are over 1800 terrestrial vertebrates in Sundaland, of which 700 are endemic and over 80 threatened; over 1000 more species occur in Wallacea, of which 50 are endemic and about 40 endangered. Indonesia is host to about 17% of the world's animals species, while covering only a little over 1% of the world's land area. Over 500 species of mammals occur in Indonesia, more than any other country, and it is often the mammals, with their higher levels of habitat need that are most threatened. As many are nocturnal, their plight is often not as obvious as the more colorful and easily seen birds. Threats to this amazing fauna, which includes orangutans, tarsiers, gibbons, tigers, bears, rhinoceros, elephant, hornbills, parrots, komodo dragon, babirusa, sea turtles and crocodilians, range from habitat destruction through hunting, the pet trade, and illegal export for food and medicines. Indonesia is a developing democracy, but unfortunately the Government does not place conservation high on its priority list. The country has many fine National Parks, and some very dedicated public servants, but the old ways of corruption and nepotism, mining and logging riches, plus an often poor rural population all combine to threaten the wildlife and ecosystems of this important and singificant repository of the world's living treasures.

ProFauna Indonesia is a non-government organisation working for the protection of wild animals and their habitat. ProFauna is the only animal protection organisation in Indonesia which has a membership system, with members making a significant contribution to voluntary activities and enabling the organisation, despite limited staff, to achieve a great deal more than otherwise would be possible. Nature Travel Specialists has made Profauna its primary supported conservation organization, and we encourage you to read more about its work, and help in any way you can. As Profauna is our primary conservation organization, 25% of any commission made by us through our shopping sites - Amazon, ExOfficio and others on our site - is donated directly to ProFauna. Please support this worthy cause by clicking on the links on our site for any purchases.

ProFauna Indonesia works with the International Primate Protection League, the Gibbon Foundation, the World Society for the Protection of Animals, the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals, Humane Society International, PADI-Europe, the World Parrot Trust and others. Since 1999, ProFauna Indonesia has been a member of the Species Survival Network, an International coalition of about 70 organisations committed to promotion, enhancement and enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) enforcement. SSN was established in 1992 and is now based in Washington DC.

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