This well illustrated field guide describes about 500 of the most common and eye-catching plants growing on Bali and the adjacent Java, most of them are illustrated with pictures. It is a comprehensive and valuable field guide for tourists and locals. The first part of the book describes the vegetation of Bali. It gives an overview of the Balinese ecosystems. Monsoon forests in the south, moist rainforests in the mountains and dry deciduous forests on the northern slopes generate patterns of unique ecosystems all over the island. The second part of the book is dedicated to the plant species living on Bali. With 400 pictures and their accurate descriptions, the reader should be able to recognize the different species in its habitat. Additionally the book provides information about the traditional und the commercial use of the described plants and characterizes their ecological behavior. The field guide is an essential travel companion for all who love nature.

The Ecology of Java and Bali is a comprehensive ecological survey of two of the most ecologically diverse islands in the Pacific. It also contains the results of original research, interviews and personal experience. It will be useful to resource managers, ecologists and government planners, as well as to all others interested in the region. Java and Bali are the best known of all the islands in the Indonesian archipelago. Nowhere else in the country are ecological issues of such importance, and nowhere else is there a better chance of the major development problems being solved. This is because Java has the greatest concentration of development projects, the densest population, excellent human resources, and the interest of many of the most powerful decision makers. Bali, meanwhile, has the eyes of the world on it as an important tourist destination enjoyed by both domestic and foreign visitors.

This book provides a general introduction to the natural history of Bali, looking at each of the major ecosystems in turn and highlighting their most salient and interesting features. Watercolor panoramas and illustrations of typical or otherwise significant plants and animals from each type of habitat complement the text and provide the reader with a visual reference for some of the sights he or she is most likely to see during a visit to the island.

A tree is defined as a woody perennial plant, having a single elongated trunk with several branches spreading at a certain height which give shape to its canopy (crown). The trunk usually has a minimum diameter of 10 cm at chest height. The leaves may be deciduous (falling seasonally) or evergreen. Young trees with a trunk measuring less than 10 cm in diameter are called saplings. Most tree species are flowering plants or conifers. They are distributed throughout the world, with the highest diversity in rainforests of the tropical regions. The majority of tree species belong to the families Dipterocarpaceae (Dipterocarps), Fagaceae (Beech family) and Lauraceae (Laurel family). Trees are used to produce a variety of our needs, including timber, furniture, paper and medicine. They also play an important role in preserving the environment (ecosystems) by preventing land degradation and erosion, producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide and managing microclimates.

The mountain flora of Java constitutes a unique natural heritage of Indonesia and indeed of the whole world. The most informative and most beautifully illustrated book ever written on this rich resource is doubtlessly The Mountain Flora of Java written by the late renowned Dutch biologist C.G.G.J. van Steenis, with unsurpassed paint drawings of 456 flowering plant species by Amir Hamzah and Moehamad Toha. The first edition from 1972 was sold out fairly soon. Brill is therefore proud to publish this edition of this seminal work at this point in time. There are three very good reasons to reprint the Mountain Flora both in English and in the Indonesian language. - First of all there is the importance of this flora for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of the vulnerable mountain ecosystems of Java. - Secondly, the unique style and quality of the 456 plant portraits by Amir Hamzah and Moehamad Toha. - Thirdly there is the science, explaining and interpreting the rich botanical diversity in the mountains of Java. Although written over 40 years ago Van Steenis' approach to the study of botany can still serve as an example and inspiration for young botanists, conservationists and policy makers.