All stakeholders in Indonesia are called upon to collaborate to optimize the enormous potential of biodiversity as a driver of the economy, community welfare, and also as capital to strengthen conservation.
Demikian disampaikan oleh Guru Besar Bilogi Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam Universitas Indonesia (FMIPA UI) Prof. Dr. Jatna Supriatna, M.Sc. saat memberikan kuliah tunggal Widjojo Nitisastro Memorial Lecture (WMNL) 2022, yang merupakan bagian dari rangkaian peringatan Hari Jadi Akademi Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (AIPI) yang ke-32 di Auditorium Perpustakaan Nasional RI, Jakarta, Kamis, 13 Oktober 2022.
Dalam acara yang dibuka secara resmi oleh Wakil Presiden RI ke-11 Profesor Boediono itu beliau menyampaikan diperkirakan ada 300 ribu jenis satwa liar ada di Indonesia, mencapai 17% dari seluruh satwa yang ada di dunia. Padahal, luas Indonesia hanya 1,3% dari luas dunia.
Indonesian fauna is also very unique because it originates from the continents of Asia and Australia as well as the transition between the two, so there is a region called Wallacea where the fauna is a mixture.
“Ini adalah anugerah yang harus dikelola dan dimanfaatkan,” kata Prof. Jatna
One way that can be done is by developing biodiversity-based ecotourism.
This has already been done in several locations. For example, tours to see orangutans in their natural habitat, such as in Tanjung Puting National Park, Gunung Palung National Park, Leuser National Park, and even the community-managed Tangkahan National Park in North Sumatra.
Each tourist must pay a rate of around 60-100 US dollars per day of visit with the cost of a tour package reaching 2,500 US dollars per visit with amenities, transportation and accommodation.
“Keanekaragaman hayati seharusnya jangan dilihat sebagai penghalang tapi sebagai opportunitas, Di Rwanda, tarif melihat gorila mencapai 120 dolar AS sementara di Malaysia tarif melihat orangutan juga di atas 100 dolar AS,” kata Prof. Jatna.
"Indonesia must also be able to take advantage of this because we have the third largest number of primate species in the world, besides the three species of orangutans," said Prof. Jatna, whose name is immortalized in one of the primates, namely Tarsius supriatnai, which is found in Gorontalo province.
According to him, utilizing the potential of biodiversity means the economy will move and the funds needed to preserve forests and conserve biodiversity will be more available.
He invited biologists in Indonesia to collaborate with economists in an effort to find opportunities to utilize biodiversity for the economy for the sake of sustainability.
He warned that if the preservation of biodiversity is disturbed, the stability and balance of the ecosystem will be shaken, which could have a negative impact on humans.
Prof. Jatna gave an example of the increasing consumption of flying foxes in Sulawesi. In the past, the supply came only from North Sulawesi, but now flying foxes have to be sourced from across the entire Sulawesi mainland.
"In fact, fruit bats are good hosts for zoonotic diseases, including Covid," he added.
