The Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Karst is a

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...

ique area in Sub Kelay, Biatan, Talisayan, Batu Putih, and Biduk-biduk Berau districts of

East Kalimantan East Kalimantan ( Indonesian: ) is a province of Indonesia. Its territory comprises the eastern portion of Borneo. It had a population of about 3.03 million at the 2010 census (within the current boundary), 3.42 million at the 2015 census, and 3 ...

province on the island of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

. It covers an area of 105,000 hectares, including the

Mangkalihat Peninsula Cape Mangkalihat, also known as Cape Sangkulirang, is a cape in eastern Borneo. It is located in the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan, in the regencies of Berau and East Kutai. The cape, as part of the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Karst, is n ...

. In May 2015, it has been nominated for inclusion in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

list. The cave paintings within the caves in the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat karsts was suggested to be a Geopark in April 2017. The paintings were researched extensively by Indonesia's Heritage Preservation Hall (BPCB) for its preservation. The closest major airport to the geopark is

Samarinda International Airport Aji Pangeran Tumenggung Pranoto International Airport , also known as APT Pranoto Airport or Samarinda Airport, is the main airport in Samarinda, the capital city of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is in the district of Sungai Siring. The airpo ...

Flora and fauna

The area is upstream of five major rivers in Berau and East Kutai, namely Tabalar River, Lesan River, Pesab River, Bengalon River and Karangan River. There is existence of ancient relics, among others, caves, palms, bones and teeth of ancient creatures. According to the results of a 2004 biological expedition by The Nature Conservancy and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences has identified 120 bird species, 200 species of insects, one giant cockroach, 400 species of flora and 50 species of fish. Even from the region precisely in Beriun Mountain, there is orangutan habitat.

References

{{Tourist attractions in Indonesia Berau Regency East Kutai Regency World Heritage Sites in Indonesia Geoparks in Indonesia Protected areas of Indonesia

Flora and fauna

See also

References