Honda Concept C

 Unveiled a the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, the Honda Concept C is study of a midsize sedan specifically targeted for the Chinese Market.

The Concept C previews a production model currently under development, and expected to go on sale in 2013.

The aggressive design is characterized by a rather flowing roofline and a sculpted body, with the surface treatment showcasing an elaborate interplay of sharp lines.

The focus on the Chinese taste appears particularly evident in the rather busy front and rear areas.

According to the company, the “C” represents “Cool,” “Challenge,” and “China”, while the sporty design that was inspired by the image of a dragon.

The product planning for this model was led by Honda’s Chinese associates and the development was done through cooperation between development teams in China and Japan.

Kalimantan is one of the world`s flora center

KalimantanIsland (Borneo) is one of the world`s flora center because the diversity oftrees in a small plot of land in the island`s forest equals to those in thewhole Papua or South America, according to the forestry ministry`s a pressstatement.

The Island has the richest flora on the Sunda Islands because it has 10,000 to15,000 special of floral plants.
The flora diversity on the Borneo island is as rich as those in the wholeAfrica, which is 40 times bigger than Borneo.
The diversity of Borneo Island`s flora covers the Asian and Australian elementswith more than 3,000 trees, including 267 species of Dipterocarpaceae (58percent of them are endemic Dipterocarpaceae species) and belongs to the mostimportant commercial wood in Asia.

It has also over 2,000 orchid species, 1,000 fern species and various speciesof "kantong semar" (Nepenthes sp.).

The endemic plant rate is also very high, namely 34 percent of plant speciesand 59 plant families are only found on the island.

Kalimantan has the high biodiversity and flora rates thanks to its geographicalcondition. The majority of the island`s geography is in coastal abd river areasand the height of almost half of its land is below 150 meters of the sea level.

These conditions have made Kalimantan an ideal place for various floral plantsto grow.

Its tropical climate. constant temperature and high rainfall rate with evendistribution make the Borneo forests always green all the years.

Kalimantan is the world`s third largest island after Greenland and Irianisland. The island is located in three countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia(Serawak, Sabah), and Brunai Darusalam.

The island is part of the Sunda Island chain consisting of two parts, namelyBig Sunda Islands: Kalimantan, Java, and Sumatra; and Little Sunda Islands:Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Barat Daya Islands, and TanimbarIslands

Toba 'orchid paradise' yields 200 new species

Scientistssay they have found almost 200 new species of orchids in the Eden Park touristforest in Sionggang village in Toba Samosir, North Sumatra.

A group led by botanists and orchid experts Ria Telambanua and Michele Siraithas been exploring the area for years.

“We’ve successfully identified almost 200 species of forest orchids afteralmost four years of research. We intentionally haven’t published any of themfor the sake of preservation,” Ria said on Sunday in Toba Samosir.

The discovery of new orchid species was typically followed by large-scaleexploitation, she said.

The researchers identified the new species by identifying morphologicaldifferences, using orchid catalogues and by consulting with experts.

“This area is an orchid paradise. It has extraordinary natural riches. Thereare thousands more orchid species that have yet to be identified here,” shesaid as quoted by Antara.

Ria and Michele will launch a book on the new species late next month, Riasaid, adding that a portion of the profits would be donated to orchid experts.

Ambon to host next sail Indonesia

Indonesiahas opened Southeast Asia's largest marine park in the Savu Sea, a migrationroute for almost half the world's whale species and home to vast tracts of rarecoral, the country's fisheries minister said.

Environmental groups, The Nature Conservancy and WWF will help set up thereserve, where efforts will be made to stamp out illegal practices such asdynamite and cyanide fishing. Tourism activities and subsistence fishing bylocals will be allowed but restricted to certain areas.

The Savu Marine National Park, launched at the World Ocean Conference inManado, Sulawesi, will cover 3.5 million hectares (8.649 million acres) in anarea of 500 species of coral, 14 species of whales and 336 species of fishliving in the Savu Sea near Flores in eastern Indonesia.

"(It is) potentially one of the largest marine protected areas in theCoral Triangle," Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Freddy Numberisaid on Wednesday.

He was referring to the biologically diverse coral reef network bounded by Indonesia,Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and the SolomonIslands.

"About 14 species out of 27 -- meaning 50 percent -- species of whales inthe world migrate using this route from the Pacific Ocean, passing through theBanda Sea, Flores Sea and Savu Sea to the Indian Ocean," said Numberi.

Rili Djohani, The Nature Conservancy's marine expert, said the park willprotect sea turtles, dolphins, sharks and could help boost tuna stocks byprotecting their spawning grounds.

"It's a beautiful place and it's now the largest marine protected area inthe Coral Triangle," she said.

Malukureefs have huge eco-tourism potential: Official

TheBanda Islands in Maluku are home to more than 60 percent (or 432) of theworld's 700 coral species, which is why most of the province's waters areincluded in the Coral Triangle, an official says.

Maluku is unique in that unlike any other Indonesian province, more than 90percent of its waters are included in the coral triangle, known for its highbiodiversity, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry research officialGellwynn Jusuf said.

"This area really has huge potential," Gellwynn told The Jakarta Postin Maluku on Monday.

The area's marine biodiversity had led the Indonesian government to come upwith the Coral Triangle Initiative - proposed for the first time during theAsia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) summit in 2007.

The initiative, Gellwynn said, was aimed at protecting coral reefs from damagecaused by global warming.

If managed optimally and effectively, Maluku's marine areas could yield higheconomic returns, he said. With vast areas of coral reefs, Maluku is rich infish and other sea biota including decorative fish species.

Fish species found in Maluku waters include the Black spotted Puffer, Trumpetfish, Anemones, Juvenile Damselfish, Porcupine fish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish,Scorpion Fish, Lizard fish, Moray Eels, Seahorses and Banded Sea Snakes.

Ambon to host next sail Indonesia

Ambonmay become the site of the next annual Sail Indonesia next year.

"Next year there was a plan to organize it (Sail Indonesia) in Ambon. Itwas also suggested that the location would be in Banda Sea," Minister ofMarine and Fishery Affairs, Freddy Numberi said here Sunday.

The moving of the location of the event, he added, was aimed at improving theeconomy of other areas in the country.

He said that the economic growth of North Sulawesi following the World OceanConference/WOC) in May 2009, and the implementation of Sail Indonesia inBunaken reached 8 percent.

"Although most of the sightseers were domestic tourists, at this such anevent could at least revive the economy," Freddy added.

Therefore, he hoped Ambon would draw a lesson from Sail Bunaken, to enable thelocal government concerned to cover the shorcomings of Sail Indonesia inManado.

At least he reminded that the local administration or private circles would nothesitate to make an investment or build the necessary facilities andinfrastructure to support the anual event.

Learning from the implementation of the WOC, Freddy said, the money that hadbeen spent on the construction of facilities by the government or privatecircles may be regained by almost twofold.