Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) has set up two new botanical gardens in Batam, Riau Islands and in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, LIPI spokesperson, Siti Nuramaliati Prijono, said.

"We will inaugurate the botanical garden in Batam on August 13, 2014 and the one in Balikpapan later on August 20," she told a media gathering here on Friday.

In line with the 2015 - 2019 road map of LIP in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works, 12 more botanical gardens will be constructed in numerous regions in Indonesia, she noted.

"Of the 12 botanical gardens, one in Batam and the other in Balikpapan are ready to be inaugurated in August this year," Siti Nuramaliati, the deputy for biological science of LIPI said.

The government had set itself a target to get developed 47 botanical gardens in the regions by 2025, chief of Bogor Botanical Garden Plant Conservation Board, Didik Widyatmoko, earlier said.

But only 21 had been realized and 12 were still under construction, he noted.

The 12 botanical gardens are in Batam, Liwa in Lampung, Balikpapan and Banua in South Kalimantan, Baturaden and Purwodadi in Central Java.

They are also in Parepare in South Sulawesi, Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi, Eka Karya in Bali, apart from Cibodas, Bogor and the Cibinong Science Center in West Java, according to him.

The government had prioritized the 12 botanical gardens because of their strategic locations and commitment from the local administrations and management, Didik said.

"Other factors included spatial planning status, urban functional support, green city development program and urban characteristics," said Didik, adding that they were located near economic centers.

The government will also build three more botanical gardens in Minahasa, North Sulawesi; Pelalawan in Riau, and in Gorontalo from 2015 to 2019, according to Didik.

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