Keragaman Hayati
Beberapa Spesies Ikan Air Tawar di Sulawesi Punah
Jumat, 22 Februari 2008 02:16 WIB

Jakarta, Kompas - Danau-danau di Sulawesi yang miskin spesies ikan asli kini justru ikan endemisnya terancam punah, antara lain Xenopoecilus sarasinorum, ikan endemis Danau Lindu yang tidak diketahui keberadaannya.
Selama ini untuk meningkatkan produksi perikanan danau dilakukan introduksi ikan dari luar kawasan.
Demikian diungkapkan Lukman, peneliti dari Pusat Penelitian Limnologi Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI), dan Fadly Y Tantu dari Universitas Tadulako, Palu, dalam ”Workshop: Global Change and Sustainable Resource Management-What Can Researchers Tell Decision Makers?”, yang diselenggarakan LIPI bekerja sama dengan STORMA (Stability of Rainforest Margins) di Jakarta, Kamis (21/2).
STORMA adalah kerja sama penelitian terpadu yang bersifat interdisiplin antara GAUG (Georg August University of Goetitingen) dan University of Kassel dari Jerman dengan Institut Pertanian Bogor dan Universitas Tadulako.
Ikan panjang 8 cm ini, jelas Lukman, pertama kali dikoleksi FR Sarasin dan PB Sarasin serta diidentifikasi DE Rosen, ML Canne, dan Popta tahun 1905. Pada 1996, ikan X. sarasinorum tercatat sebagai spesies yang terancam punah oleh IUCN.
Selain di Danau Lindu, penelitian Fadly, peneliti akuakultur dari Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Tadulako, juga menunjukkan punahnya ikan moncong bebek di Danau Poso dan ikan malele di Danau Matano.
Keberadaan 32 jenis ikan malele terancam akibat introduksi beberapa ikan dari luar Indonesia, antara lain cichlid dari Afrika dan lohan dari China. (yun)

Poso council demands answers in graft case
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Poso, February 20, 2008

Members of the Poso legislative council in South Sulawesi have demanded the immediate settlement of a Rp 58 billion (US$6.4 million) recovery fund graft case.
The fund was designed to revive economic growth among victims of conflicts in Poso, but was instead allegedly channeled to a number of cooperatives, the council's speaker, Sawerigading Pelima, said.
He said, based on the council's findings, a portion of the fund was channeled to a cooperative using a ficticious name and to another cooperative and his family members.
"This is stupid. The case is getting serious, so it requires urgent settling," Sawerigading said Sunday.
He said the fund was also partly given to a number of cooperatives whose legal stature was questionable and to other cooperatives established soley for the sake of receiving the money.
The fund was handed over by the central government via the office of the coordinating minister for people's welfare to the Poso regency administration.
The central government also assigned the local industry, trade and cooperatives office to channel the money to those entitled to receive it through cooperatives. At least 57 cooperatives have been recorded to have received Rp 50 million to Rp 200 million each.
In the fund's disbursement, the industry, trade and cooperatives office imposed a levy of Rp 5 million to Rp 25 million on each cooperative, depending on the amount they had received. The fund distributor reported 27 cooperatives who had levies collected from them.
Upon inspection, most cooperatives turned out to have no offices. It is also thought much of the money was not spent on empowering conflict victims, but to buy private facilities like cars and motorcycles. "Yes, we've checked it, but the regency administration officials insist the fund disbursement already reached the target," Sawerigading said.
Manuel Pasepe, head of administration at the Poso industry, trade and cooperatives office, denied the allegation. "There is no malfeasance whatsoever," he said.
Manuel said the 57 cooperatives receiving the money were chosen from a total of 141 in Poso. Any cooperative failing to meet a set of requirements would automatically be dropped, he said.
Many conflict victims at Bone Sompe in Poso Kota district said they had not received aid. Hundreds of people went to the Poso regency office recently to question the fund distribution.
Syarifuddin Labatjo, one of the victims' lawyer, said the money should have been received last July.
"But many of them have got nothing thus far. What's wrong with this?" he asked.

Latea Cave, burial site of Pamona ancestors
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Poso, Central Sulawesi, February 11, 2008

Latea Cave is more than 30 million years old. This natural cave is located in the limestone of Parere Hill. It is the place where the Pamona people, the indigenous residents of Poso, traditionally buried their ancestors.
The Pamona people have lived in the hills of Central Sulawesi for generations; particularly in the Wawolembo area. Their practice of putting the dead in caves did not stop until the 19th century.
Latea Cave is comprised of two sections. The first section is located at the lower part of the cave. Here you can find four pairs of coffins and 36 skeletons. The second section is located at the upper part of the cave. Here one can find 17 pairs of coffins, 47 skeletons and five bracelets. Both caves were renovated in 1994.
The manner in which the Pamona people buried their dead was similar to the burial practice till prevailing in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi. "The Pamona people and the Toraja people historically share a very close kinship," says Yustinus Hoke, a cultural activist of Pamona. Owing to this kinship, some traditional practices of the Pamona and Toraja people are the same, including the practice of putting their dead in caves.
Another cave used by the ancestors of the Pamona people is the Pamona Cave. This cave is located on the edge of Lake Poso. It has 12 rooms. According to Yustinus Hoke, the specific rooms in which the dead were placed was dependent on their social class.
Although it is the burial site of the ancestors of the Pamona people, during the 20th and 21st century the Pamona Cave would become both an attractive tourist spot as well as a playground for the local kids.
Ruweyana Gundo, a local resident, told The Jakarta Post recently that she used to spend her free time inside the Pamona Cave in her childhood. Sometimes she and her classmates would skip class and spend their time playing in the cave. Relying on her childhood experience in the cave, Ruweyana can give a detailed description of each room.
"Only the first three rooms are easily accessible," said Ruweyana. "If you want to go to the other rooms you must use a flashlight as it is very dark there. The twelfth room is actually submerged under the water of Lake Poso," she said.
Latea Cave is located about two kilometers away from the main road of Tentena, the capital of North Pamona district, Poso regency. To get there, visitors must ride a motorcycle a distance of one kilometer and then walk for another kilometer from the main road.
Before reaching Latea Cave, one will have to pass two bridges. The first bridge is still in good condition while the second is in a poor state. Locals have used bamboo and wooden planks to cover the damaged part of the second bridge but the trip across remains precarious.
While the Pamona caves have been popular with foreign tourists in the past, more recently, since 1998 and the start of the prolonged bloody conflicts in Poso, visits to the area by foreign tourists have abated.
The last time both caves saw many visitors was in 1997 during the 9th Lake Poso Festival. "Since the violence the two caves have seen very few visitors," said Reverend Hengky Bawias, of the local church. The Reverend also commented that some of the facilities in the area have fallen into disrepair. "The second bridge began to deteriorate rapidly in 2004. Unfortunately very little has been done about it."
Reverend Hengky is saddened by the fact that neither Latea Cave or Pamona Cave were included in the 10th Lake Poso Festival which was held late last year. "The reason for excluding these important cultural heritage sites has remained unclear," said Reverend Hengky.
According to Roana Kabi, a member of the 10th Lake Poso Festival's organizing committee in charge of public affairs, the committee organized the 10th Lake Poso Festival simply to revive the festival.
"We will be sure to include all cultural and tourist items in the 2008 Lake Poso Festival. Right now, our goal is only to carry out a campaign to inform the world that Poso is a safe place," said Roana.