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A Travel Note: Biodiversity Survey in Kaprus Village

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The biodiversity research team collects butterfly samples. (EcoNusa Foundation/ S. Kadrie)

Papua is blessed with rich biodiversity. Most of its region is covered by natural forests, which serve as the last bastion of Indonesia’s tropical rainforests. While it is home to a variety of flora and fauna, many species remain unidentified, including those found in the Bokoma customary forest area in Kaprus Village, South Manokwari, West Papua. The lack of information about the wealth of flora and fauna poses a challenge in forest management planning. However, limited biodiversity data is also crucial for preparing the proposal documents for the designation of the Bokoma customary forests.

To document this biodiversity, the University of Papua, Rainforest Trust Foundation, EcoNusa Foundation, and Ekozona collaborated to conduct a survey in the Bokoma customary forest area in October 2024. A team of 10 researchers and 7 research assistants from the University of Papua, a photographer, and 3 members from Ekozona participated in the 10-day field research.

We conducted research on plant diversity, butterflies, dragonflies, freshwater fish, herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), birds, mammals, and ethnobiology in the Bokoma customary forest. This is important because the forest is a lowland ecosystem crucial for the wildlife of these species. The data on species and their habitats, as well as the recordings, will help assess the quality of habitats, wildlife distribution, and the abundance of these species in the wild. This biodiversity is critical for evaluating the health of the ecosystem and ensuring the continued ecological function of the Bokoma customary forest in the future.

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I, as a student of the Biology Department at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Papua, served as an assistant in the butterfly and dragonfly research team. These two species are part of the insect group and play vital roles in maintaining ecosystem balance. The diversity of butterfly species can serve as a bioindicator of the sustainability or quality of an environment. Similarly, dragonflies act as indicators of water quality. The higher the number of species, the better the river ecosystems, indicating that they are still relatively healthy and free from chemical pollutants.

From Manokwari City, we drove for about 4 hours to reach Kaprus Village. Since this was my first time going into the field, many questions were running through my mind—how we would sleep, bathe, and so on. But once we gathered at the campus and transferred our belongings into four Hilux vehicles, I began to feel ready for the adventure. We stopped briefly in Andai, near a cement factory, and then proceeded to Ransiki for lunch before continuing our journey to the basecamp at Kilometer 15. After safely arriving at the basecamp, we immediately organized our gear, cleaned our rooms, and prepared the equipment for fieldwork the next day.

On the second day, it rained heavily. Despite the weather, we were still determined to go into the field. Once the weather improved, we walked 2 kilometers along a river and through the forest to our research transect 1. We caught dragonflies and butterflies here. The sampling process was not easy. Fortunately, we were assisted by local residents and our colleagues from Ekozona.

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In the following days, we did the same at research transects 2 to 10. We faced several challenges, including unpredictable weather, leech bites, and even being chased by aggressive cows. But none of this dampened our spirits for the research. Over the course of these days, we successfully identified 115 butterfly species and 61 dragonfly species. The butterfly diversity index, based on the Shannon-Wiener index, was relatively high (H’= 3.79). Meanwhile, the dragonfly diversity index was moderate (H’=2.86).

The most dominant butterfly species identified across all transects were Erysichthon lineata and Ionolyce helicon from the Lycaenidae family, as well as Appias celestina from the Pieridae family. These butterflies were commonly found feeding on minerals around rivers. At the transects, we also identified the protected butterfly species Ornithoptera priamus(Papilionidae), which is an endemic species of Maluku and New Guinea, in accordance with Government Regulation Law No. 32 of 2024.

During our 10 days in the field, I learned a great deal about Papua’s biodiversity and the importance of conservation. This experience not only enriched my knowledge as a biology student but also opened my eyes to the significance of preserving nature and the diversity of species in Indonesia, especially in Papua.

Editor: Nur Alfiyah

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