Monas gets endangered Merbau trees

The Jakarta Post, Tue, 02/10/2009 2:39 PM  

JAKARTA: The National Monument (Monas) park became the home of Merbau trees Monday, after the Central Jakarta administration planted the endangered trees. 

The Central Jakarta administration planted 10 endangered Merbau and Bulian trees at Monas park after receiving a 100-tree donation from the Forestry Ministry. 

The Merbau once stretched across Southeast Asia as far as the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and some Pacific Islands. 

But after heavy exploitation, the tree can only be found in three countries - Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia.

"A lot of our trees have high economic value and are smuggled *abroad*, but our own children have never seen them," Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban sais as quoted by beritajakarta.com.