INDONESIA UNDERGROUND KARST ECOSYSTEM: The hidden secret of Gunung Sewu UNESCO Global Geopark in Java

In Java’s cultural heartland, a hidden world of caverns, clear water and mysterious creatures has created an ecosystem like no other. Gunung Sewu, on the Indonesian island of Java, takes its name — which means “thousands of mountains” — from the sweeping landscape of conical hills. The area that stretches 120 kilometers east to west from the hills to the coast is one of the four designated global geoparks granted by UNESCO in Indonesia. It is located in three regencies of Gunungkidul, Pacitan and Wonogori. The real treasure in this geopark lies deep underground, in a mysterious world of rivers and caverns, adorned with crystals, stalactites and stalagmites and inhabited by unusual creatures. Over millions of years, the remains of marine organisms were compressed and uplifted, creating a geological formation known as karst. But erosion, pollution and overuse threaten to contaminate the water and harm the unusual geological formations. The research group has come together to study the karst geopark management problems and develop plans and policies for nature-based solutions aiming for better management at the landscape level. This research forms part of the Kanoppi Project involving the management team of Gunung Sewu UNESCO Global Geopark, the Center for International Forestry Research, and the World Agroforestry (ICRAF). The research is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry, which is supported by the CGIAR Fund Donors, including the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and the USAID.