REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM - Batam City, Riau Islands Province, will have two botanical gardens having different functions, to be located respectively in Nongsa Sub-district and Galang Island.

A botanical garden measuring 86 hectares would be developed in Nongsa as a conservation area for various flora species, and a center for research, recreation, and informal education, Ilham Eka Hartawan a spokesman of the Batam Authorities, said here on Sunday. Another botanical garden to be set up in Galang Island was meant to preserve historical remnants of the former Vietnamese refugees camp there, he added.

"The large of Galang botanical garden will not be more than 10 hectares. We have submitted the proposal in 2000. However, we will review the plan to see whether it is still relevant to develop the botanical garden," he said.

The ex-camp of Vietnamese refugees on Galang Island, which is part of the Batam territories, has attracted domestic and foreign tourists who are interested in history. The local administration has preserved and improved the infrastructures and facilities existing on the island since 2013 for touristic purposes. Batam Mayor Ahmad Dahlan recently said that botanical gardens were expected to attract more tourists to visit the city.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI)s exploration team found 283 species of flora in Batam, including a giant orchid known as "sugarcane" orchid, Candan (Aquilaria hirta), rattan, meranti (Shorea), Bintangur (Calophyllum insularum), and kruing (Dipterocarpus retusus). 

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