Species Protection Amidst Deforestation

Indonesia is one of the megabiodiversity countries in the world. This is due to the abundant diversity of plants and animals. This diversity arises because Indonesia is an archipelago where each island has its own characteristics. However, Indonesia has around 1,000 islands with tropical climates and different ecosystems. Some of the ecosystems in Indonesia include rain, savanna, and wetlands. Thus, the ecosystem is so diverse, Indonesia has more than 20,000 plant species both on inhabited and uninhabited islands.

Plant diversity plays a fundamental role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Plants provide many benefits for human and animal life, such as being food, medicinal ingredients, building materials, and maintaining the water and carbon cycles in nature, threats to plant sustainability are increasing, mainly due to the rate of deforestation, climate change, urbanization, and excessive exploitation. Forest damage and plant extinction cause the ecosystem to not function properly.

Indonesia has made a number of regulations related to conservation and the environment, there are at least seven laws that play a role in protecting plants and animals. Some of them are the Law on Conservation of Natural Resources and Ecosystems, the Law on Forestry, the Law on Environmental Protection and Management, and the Law on Prevention and Eradication of Forest Destruction. Other regulations include the Government Regulation on the Preservation of Plant and Animal Species, the Government Regulation on the Management of Nature Reserve Areas and Nature Conservation Areas, and the Law on Job Creation

Each of these laws has the same goal, namely protecting forests, nature, and preserving plants and animals, while ensuring that natural resources can be utilized sustainably without sacrificing the environment and future generations. However, there are still parties who do not comply with these regulations, such as carrying out illegal logging or encroachment on forests into plantations which have a negative impact on the environment. The reduction in green forest areas is a major factor causing climate change, rising global temperatures, changes in rainfall, and extreme weather. In addition, many species of plants and animals are extinct due to the loss of their natural habitat.

Global warming triggered by deforestation also causes the loss of biodiversity in forests. Because the forests are becoming bare, the amount of oxygen suppliers on Earth is reduced. Other possible impacts include the death of animals or plants, the scarcity of species, and the critical status of some endangered species. Some species of plants and animals are threatened with extinction.