Belambangan

The Belambangan Biosphere Reserve is located in the East Java Province (Java Island) and forms part of the Indo-Malayan region. It is situated within the Banyuwangi Regency, Situbondo, Bondowoso Regency and Jember Regency (East Java), and the mountain areas of Ijen and Mount Raung. The core area of the biosphere reserve is covered with tropical rainforest with altitudes ranging from 0 to 1,000m above sea level.The reserve includes both terrestrial and marine ecosystems such as karst landscapes, savannah, alpine and subalpine forest, montane forest, lowland bamboo forest, coastal forest and seagrass beds.Mangroves are also present in the biosphere reserveand coral reef ecosystems can be found in the buffer zone. More than 300 species of fish have been identified and the reefs are dominated by coral species of theAcroporagenus.The region is a biodiversity hotspot with many faunal species including the Banteng or Javanese wild bull (Bos javanicus), the Christmas frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi), the green peafowl (Pavo muticus) and the endangered Javan leopard (Panthera pardus). In addition, four species of sea turtles nest on the south and east coast of Alas Purwo National Park: the olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the green turtle (Chelonia mydas).