An urgent demand for natural compound alternatives to conventional medications has arisen due to global health challenges, such as drug resistance and the adverse effects associated with synthetic drugs. Plant extracts are considered an alternative due to their favorable safety profiles and potential for reducing side effects. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a valuable plant resource and a potential candidate for the development of pharmaceutical medications. A single pure compound or a combination of compounds exhibits exceptional medicinal properties, including antiviral activity against both DNA and RNA viruses, antibacterial effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, antifungal properties, antioxidant activity, antidiabetic potential, neuroprotective qualities, and anticancer properties. The plant contains various phytochemical constituents, which mostly consist of linalool, eucalyptol, estragole, and eugenol. For centuries, community and traditional healers across the globe have employed O. basilicum L. to treat a wide range of ailments, including flu, fever, colds, as well as issues pertaining to digestion, reproduction, and respiration. In addition, the current research presented underscores the significant potential of O. basilicum-related nanotechnology applications in addressing diverse challenges and advancing numerous fields. This promising avenue of exploration holds great potential for future scientific and technological advancements, promising improved utilization of medicinal products derived from O. basilicum L.

Self-purification plays an important role in water regulating ecosystem services aimed at protecting river water quality from pollutant inputs. The Citarum River is the longest river in West Java, Indonesia where the water quality has declined due to pollutant inputs from domestic and non-domestic activities. This study aims to investigate the status of self-purification ecosystem services and the influence of water quality in the upstream of the Citarum River, in the Cihawuk and Majalaya segments, which are rural and urban areas. The self-purification status was determined by the deoxygenation rate using Thomas’s slope method, and by the reaeration rate according to O’Connor and Dobbins’ method. The polynomial component regression (PCR) was performed to determine the significance of the influence of physicochemical factors on self-purification. The deoxygenation rates (k₁) in the rural and urban areas upstream of the Citarum River were 0.044 per day and 0.058 per day, respectively, while the reaeration rates (k₂) in the rural and urban areas were 0.196 per day and 0.156 per day, respectively. These deoxygenation and reaeration rates indicate that the self-purification status upstream of the Citarum River has been disturbed. This result also indicates that chemical factors have a significant influence on the deoxygenation process, while the reaeration process is most significantly influenced by physical factors. The deterioration of self-purification in the Citarum River poses a risk to the long-term availability of water resources. Therefore, this research encourages the reduction in the input of organic pollutants and develops a strategic plan for river management.

Mangroves are ecologically significant plants in marine habitats that inhabit the coastlines of many countries. Being a highly productive and diverse ecosystem, mangroves are rich in numerous classes of phytochemicals that are of great importance in the field of pharmaceutical industries. The red mangrove (Rhizophora stylosa Griff.) is a common member of the Rhizophoraceae family and the dominant species in the mangrove ecosystem of Indonesia. R. stylosa mangrove species are rich in alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, terpenoids, saponins, and steroids, and are widely used in traditional medicine for anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, and antipyretic effects. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the botanical description, phytochemical profiles, pharmacological activities, and medicinal potentials of R. stylosa.

Oktavia D, Pratiwi SD, Munawaroh S, Hikmat A, Hilwan I. 2021. Floristic composition and species diversity in three habitat types of heath forest in Belitung Island, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 5555-5563. Exploring plant diversity, structure, and composition of vegetation in forest ecosystems is necessary for understanding the mechanism of species coexistence and forest dynamics, moreover in a unique and vulnerable ecosystem such as tropical heath forest (kerangas). We investigated the composition and structure of vegetation of heath forests in East Belitung, Indonesia in three habitat types, namely primary heath forest (rimba), secondary heath forest (bebak), and grassland (padang). Vegetation analysis was conducted using the combination of transect and plot method to calculate the importance value index (IVI) for all species and biodiversity indicators for each habitat type. We recorded 157, 135, and 31 species in rimba, bebak, and padang, respectively. The top three dominant families of species found were Myrtaceae, Clusiaceae, and Euphorbiaceae. In rimba, Syzygium lepidocarpa had the highest IVI for seedlings, Calophyllum lanigerum had the highest IVI for saplings, and Schima walichii had the highest IVI for trees. In bebak, Guioa pleuropteris had the highest IVI for seedlings, Garcinia hombroniana had the highest IVI for saplings, and Schima walichii had the highest IVI for trees. In padang, Fimbristylis sp. had the highest IVI for seedlings, while Leptospermum flavescens had the highest IVI for saplings and trees. Some pioneer species were found such as Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, Rhodamnia cinerea, Syzygium buxifolium. We also found two carnivorous plants Drosera burmannii and Nepenthes gracilis in padang, indicating that this habitat type is poor in nutrients in the soils. We suggested that the presence of species composition in the three habitat types of heath forest is an essential plant resource to be conserved and sustainably utilized. Establishing reserve areas to protect natural habitat and biodiversity is encouraged to provide proper ecosystem function for the people and nature.

Oktavia D, Pratiwi SD, Munawaroh S, Hikmat A, Hilwan I. 2022. The potential of medicinal plants from heath forest: Local knowledge from Kelubi Village, Belitung Island, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 3553-3560. The heath forest ecosystem is home to hundreds of species in Belitung Island and is home to medicinal plant resources. The Belitung people prefer to use medicinal plants due to their easy availability and cheap therapy, compared to costly modern pharmaceuticals. In this study, we investigated the potential of medicinal plants from heath forests according to the local knowledge of the Belitung Malay community. This study was conducted in Kelubi Village, Belitung Island, Indonesia. Data and information related to medicinal plant properties were obtained through interviews with local people using an in-depth interview technique. We documented 86 species belonging to 48 families. The medicinal plants are classified into 48 families. The most abundant families are Rubiaceae (8 species), and Myrtaceae (8 species). Many species from the Myrtaceae family are used as medicinal species, such as, jemang (Rhodamnia cinerea), gelam (Melaleuca leucadendra), keremuntingan (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa), and sekudong pelandok (Syzygium buxifolium). The percentages of medicinal plant diversity based on habitus were 45% trees, 21% woody lianas, 13% small trees, 13% herbs, and 8% lianas. We also found that 23 species of medicinal plants were used as herbs after childbirth, and 10 species of plants were used to treat fever. Belitung Malay people use plants for traditional medicine to solve some diseases and therapy. We suggest that conservation efforts for the heath forest ecosystem should be a priority for the sustainable use of medicinal plants on Belitung Island.

Belitung Island, situated in the Southeast Asian tin belt, experiences substantial transformations in land use and land cover (LULC) driven by mining activities, impacting both local economic growth and the ecosystem. This study aims to elucidate the dynamic LULC changes on Belitung Island and evaluate deforestation trends. LULC data spanning from 1990 to 2020 were acquired from The Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), employing supervised classification of satellite imageries. The dataset demonstrated an overall accuracy ranging from 0.79 to 0.92 and was reclassified into six types based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or IPCC's classes, encompassing forest, cropland, grassland, other land, settlements, and wetlands. Our research unveiled a notable reduction of over 25 % in forest cover within the past 30 years. Notably, 2020 exhibited instances of reforestation, which subsequently transformed into cropland (0.57 %), grassland (0.32 %), and other lands (0.39 %). Belitung Island grapples with challenges related to sustainable development, environmental conservation, and food security. Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) emerges as a potential strategy to address some of the socioeconomic and ecological issues.