Meru Betiri

Meru Betiri National Park is national park in the province of East Java, Indonesia.  Located at the geographic location 8^o21' - 8^o34' South and 113^o37' - 113^o58' East. Extending over an area of 580 sq km of which a small part is marine (8.42 sq km). The beaches of the park provide nesting ground for the Endangered Leatherback turtles, Hawksbill turtles, Green turtles and Olive Ridley turtles.

Meru Betiri National Park takes its name from 'Gunung Betiri', the highest mountain in the region at 1,223 m. The main highlight of the park is its extensive lowland rainforest as well as lowland swamp forest and many beaches. The Javan tiger used to live in Meru Betiri National Park and the massive Rafflesia Flower can still be seen today.

Meru Betiri National Park has a varied topography reaching from a plain coast to highland with an altitude of almost 1,200 meters. The tallest mountains within the park are Mount Gamping (538 m asl), Mount Butak (609 m asl), Mount Sukamade Atas (801 m asl), Mount Gendong (840 m asl), Mount Mandilis (844 m asl) and Mount Betiri (1,192 m asl). The topography along the coast is generally hilly to mountainous. There are only few sandy plain coasts, most of them located in the west, such as Rajegwesi Beach, Sukamade Beach, Permisan Beach, Meru Beach and Bandealit Beach. Some rivers across Meru Betiri National Park are Sukamade River, a perennial river, Permisan River, Meru River and Sekar Pisang River that flow to the south coast.

The Meru Betiri area is influenced by monsoon wind. During November to March, the westerly wind brings rainfall to the area, whereas the dry season occurs during April to October. The average annual rainfall is between 2,300 and 4,000 mm, with 4 dry months and 7 wet months in average.

As a result of its diverse topography, Meru Betiri National Park contains five distinct vegetation types: 

• Coastal vegetation, found around Sukamade Bay and Meru Bay. This vegetation includes the Barringtonia asiatica, Calophyllum inophyllum, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Terminalia catappa, and Pandania tectorius.
• Mangrove vegetation, found at the eastern side of the Rajegwesi Bay as the outlet of Lembu and Karang Tambak Rivers, Meru Bay and Sukamade Coast. The dominan vegetation are Rhizophora, Avicennia and Bruguiera. At the outlet of the Sukamade River, there is Nypa fruticans.
• Swam vegetation, found at the back of the mangrove forest of Sukamade. Some tree species here are Manilkara kauki, Gluta renghas, Alstonia scholaris, and Sterculia foetida. 
• Lowland tropical rainforest, including among others tree species of Pterospermum, Tetrameles nudiflora, Ficus variegata, Diospyros cauliflora, Aglala variegata, Dracontomelon mangiferum, Bischoffia javanica, Dysoxylum amoroides, Gossampinus heptaphylla, Litsea, and Plectocomia elongata.
• Rheofit, found in the wetland areas, such as the Sukamade area. The dominant vegetation species here is the Saccharum spontaneum.

Conservation efforts are primarily concentrated on the nearby turtle nesting beaches, particularly at Sukamade, where  the turtles are monitored and protected during egg laying. Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley and Loggerhead  turtles uses the same beaches   Visitors can also see turtles laying their eggs on beaches near Sukamade. Many people also take in Sukamade Beach when visiting Meru Betiri National Park, while Alas Purwo National Park is also worth a look. The park office organizes trek through the national park and there are several guesthouses in the area.


Declared by Minister of Forestry No. 277/Menhut-VI/1997, May 23, 1997.

Kepulauan Seribu

Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) is the only regency of Jakarta, Indonesia. A string of 105 stretching 45 km north into the Java Sea, with the closest lying in Jakarta Bay only a few kilometres of mainland Jakarta.

Kepulauan Seribu National Park, with a total area is 107,489 hectares,  located at the geographical location is 106^o25' - 106^o37' E, 5^o23' - 5^o40' S, temperature 21^oC - 34^oC, rainfall 3,000 mm/year (on average).

The Kepulauan Seribu chain is a place of enchanting natural beauty. The simphony of calls of the creatures on these small green islands, combined with the sound of thundering wafes and golden sunshine at dusk bring a sense of calm and tranquility to all those who visit the park.

The 78 coral islands, both large and small, with an average altitude of not more than 3 m asl, form a chain. Hundreds of year ago, the islands were formed upon colonies of dead coral. These colonies initially grew on shallow sea beds, their upper layer breached the surface and were weathered. Later, pioneer plants such as bushes and several tree species began to grow on the coral. The surface of the islands is quite different from soil-covered ground, and this is reflected in their diverse plant and animal life.

In general, the plants that grow in the park are dominated by coastal species like coconut palm (Cocos nucifera), pandan (Pandanus sp.), cemara laut (Casuarina equisetifolia), cangkudu (Morinda citrifolia), butun (Barringtionia asiatica), mangrove (Bruguiera sp.), sukun (Artocarpus altilis), ketapang (Terminalia cattapa) and kecundang (Cerbena  adollam).

Sea vegetation commonly found in the park consist of seaweed like Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta, and Phaeophyta as well as classes of sea grases like Halimeda sp., Padina sp., Sargasum sp., and Caulerpa sp.

The dominan animals in the park include 54 sea biota species which form part of the coral reef ecosystem, 144 species of fish, 2 species of giant clam, 6 species of sea grass, sea worms of various colours and 17 species of coastal bird.

The park forms a hatching site for Hawkbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas). The Hawksbill Turtle is an endangered species and is rarely found in other waters. These turtles are bred on Pramuka Island. This activity is aimed at recovering the turtle population, which had almost reached extinction. Breeding activities include egg hatching in a semi-natural way and caring for the baby turtles till they are readi to be released into their natural habitat.

Most coastal areas of this park surrounded by mangrove forest, where iguanas, golden ring snakes and phytons can be found. 

In 1972, Ali Sadikin, then governor of Jakarta, declared Onrust Island is protected historical site. In 2002 the administration made Onrust and its three neighbors : Cipir, Kelor and Bidadari an archaeological park to protect the artifacts and ruins on the islands that date back to the time of the Dutch East India Company.

The Onrust Archaeology Park consist of four islands that are relatively close to Jakarta, within at most two kilometers from each other and that form a rough square.

Declared by Minister of Forestry No. 6310/Kpts-II/2002, July 13, 2002.

Ujung Kulon

Ujung Kulon National Park is located at the western most trip of Java, Banten, Indonesia. It includes the volcanic island group of Krakatoa and other islands including Panaitan, Handeuleum and Peucang on the Sunda Strait. 

The park encompasses an area of 1,206 sq km (443 sq km marine), most of which lies on a peninsula reaching into Indian Ocean. The explosion of nearby Krakatoa in 1883 produced a tsunami (giant wave) that eliminated the village and crops of the coastal areas on the western peninsula, and covered the entire area in a layer of ash about 30 cm thick. This caused the total evacuation of the peninsula by humans, thereby allowing it to become a repository for much of Java's flora and fauna, and most of the remaining lowland forest on the island.

Ujung Kulon National Park (6^o45' S, 105^o20' E) and Krakatoa Nature Reserve (6^o06' S, 105^o25' E) make up a World Heritage Site. Ujung Kulon National Park lies on the extreme south western tip of Java within the administrative province of Jawa Barat (West Java) and the Kabupaten of Pandeglang. The point to point ocean boundary encloses Ujung Kulon Peninsula and the offshore island of Pulau Handeuleum and Pulau Peucang, whilst the island of Pulau Panaitan is separated by the 10 kilometers wide Panaitan Straits. The eastern boundary follows contours along the eastern foothills of the Gunung Honje massive. Krakatoa Nature Reserve comprises the four islands of the Krakatoa group whichl lie some 60 kms to the north between Java and Sumatra. The reserve lies within Lampung administrative province, Sumatra.

Condition are tropical maritime, with a seasonal mean annual rainfall of approximately 3,249 mm. Heaviest rainfall is between October and April during the northwest monsoon, and a noticable drier periond occurs between May and September during the southeast monsoon. Mean monthly rainfall figures of 400 mm have been recorded for December and January, and 100 mm per month during May to September. Mean temperatures between 25^oC to 30^oC and relative humidity between 65% and 100%

Ujung Kulon is triangular peninsula protruding from the southwest extremity of mainland Java, to which it is joined by a low isthmus some 1 - 2 km wide. The topography is dominated in the southwest by the tree, north-south aligned ridges of the Gunung Payung massive, with the peak of Gunung Payung, Gunung Guhabendang and Gunung Cikuja, forming the highest point of the peninsula. To the northeast, the relief attenuates to the low rolling hills and plains of the Telanca Pateau, and ultimately to the low-lying swamps in the region of the isthmus. To the east of Gunung Honje massive form the mainland components of the park. Coastal formation include a number of raisedcoral island and their associated fringing reefs, which lie of the northern coast of the peninsula, the largest of these being Pulau Handeuleum. To the south, the coastline is characterized by sand dune formations, areas of raised coral reefs, an further west a long stretch of undermined and shattered sandstone slabs. Extensive coral reefs and spectacular volcanic formation occur along the exposed and broken west coast.

The park protect 57 rare species of plant. The 35 species of mammal include Banteng, Silvery Gibbon, Javan Lutung, Crab-eating Macaque, Leopard, Java Mouse-deer and Rusa Deer. There are also 72 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 240 species of birds.

Parts of today's national park and World Heritage Site have been protected since the early 20 ^th century. Krakatoa island was declared a Nature Reserve in 1921, followed by Pulau Panaitan and Pulau Peucang Nature Reserve in 1937. The Ujung Kulon Nature Reserve has been established in 1958 followed by the Gunung Honje Nature Reserve in 1967. Ujung Kulon National Park has been established in 1992. In 2005 the park has been designated as an ASEAN Heritage Park.


Declared by Minister of Forestry No. 758/Kpts-II/1999, September 23, 1999.

Komodo

The Komodo National Park is national Park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Island in the border region between the province of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. The park includes three larger islands Komodo, Padar, and Rincah, and 26 smaller ones. With a total area 1,733 km² (602 km² of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 in order to protect the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis ),  the world's largest lizard. Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species, in 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The park comprises a coastal section of western Flores, the three larger islands of Komodo, Padar, and Rincah, 26 smaller islands and the surrounding waters of the Sape Straights. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin. The terrain is generally rugged, characterized by rounded hills, with altitudes up to 735 m asl. The climate is one of the driest of Indonesia, with annual rainfall between 800 mm and 1000 mm.  Temperature generally range from 17^oC to 34^oC. Located at the geographic location is 8^o24' - 8^o50' S, 119^o21' - 119^o49' E.

About 4,000  people live within the park. Scuba diving is popular because of the park's high marine biodiversity. The development of, largely marine based, ecotourism is the main strategy to make the park self-financing and generate sufficient revenue through entrance fees and tourism licences to cover operational and managerial costs. To this end, a joint venture between TNC and a tourism operator were granted a tourism concession, that also entails extensive park management rights. This concession has generated an ongoing controversy. The joint venture has been accused of making decision behind closed doors, and many people in and around Komodo claim that they haven't been consulted regarding decision that ultimately affect their lives.

The majority of the people in around the park are fishermen originally from Bima (Sumbawa, Manggarai, South Flores, and South Sulawesi). Those from South Sulawesi are from the Suku Bajau or Bugis ethnic groups. The Suku Bajau were originally nomadic and moved from location to location in the region of Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku, to make their livelihoods. Descendents of the original people of Komodo, the Ata Modo, still live in Komodo, but there are no pure blood people left and their culture and language is slowly being integratie with the recent migrants.

These volcanic islands are inhabited by a population of around 5,700 giant lizards, whose appearance and aggressive  behaviour have led to them being called 'Komodo dragons'. They exist nowhere else in the world and are of great interest to scientist studying the theory of evolution. The rugged hillsides of dry savanna and pockets of thorny green vegetation contrast starkly with the brilliant white sandy beaches and the blue waters surging over coral.

The park is best known for the Komodo monitor, the world's largest living lizard. The population is distributed across the island of Komodo, Rinca, and Gili Motong, and in certain coastal regions of western and northern Flores. Favoured habitat is tropical deciduous forest and, to a lesser extent, open savanna . The mammalian fauna is characteristic of the Wallacean zoogeographical zone, with terrestrial species recorded including the endemic rat. Other mammal include primates such as crap-eating macaque. Introduced species, such as Rusa Deer and Wild Boar, as well as feral domestic animal including Horses and Water Bufallo, form important prey species for the Komodo Monitor. Some 72 species of bird have noisy friar bird and common scrubhen.


Declared by Minister of Forestry No. 306/Kpts-II/1992, February 29, 1992.