Gede Pangrango park spoiled by trash dumping<\/p>\n
Bambang M., Contributor, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Botanists call Gede Pangrango National Park in West Java \"the
\npearl in Java's crown\" for its incomparable richness and beauty.<\/p>\n
Just like a pearl, though small, it is exquisite. The park is
\none of the world's best examples of a tropical forest with its
\noverwhelming biodiversity and stunning natural splendor although
\nthe 15,196-hectare park is the second smallest in the country.<\/p>\n
Sadly, the \"pearl\" is now tarnished by trash left behind by
\nclimbers, leaving several places commonly used to rest and enjoy
\nscenery covered with filthy rubbish.<\/p>\n
\"We unfortunately can't deal with the waste problems just
\nyet,\" said the park's officer at Cibodas station, L. Surjadi.<\/p>\n
Despite warnings, visitors continue to throw their garbage
\neverywhere, unaware of the park's status as one of the world's
\ncenters of biodiversity.<\/p>\n
The park which produces oxygen for over 1.5 billion people has
\nattracted internationally renowned biologists like Alfred Russe
\nWallacea -- a biologist who divided Indonesian fauna into two
\ncategories: western and eastern territories; Reinwardt -- founder
\nof Bogor Botanical Garden in Bogor, West Java, and many more.<\/p>\n
The park, located on the slopes of Mount Gede and Mount
\nPangrango was named a nature reserve by the Dutch East Indies
\ngovernment in 1889 who declared the area between the Cibodas
\nBotanical Park and the hot water spring at the altitude of 2,150
\nmeters on Mount Gede as a nature reserve. In 1978, the Indonesian
\ngovernment named this area Gede Pangrango Reserve before
\ndeclaring it a national park two years later. The United Nations
\nEducational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) then
\nmade this park a World Biosphere Reserve, and since 1995 it has
\nbecome a global conservation zone.<\/p>\n
On the way into the park's deep forest, there are numerous
\nvarieties of soaring trees. The forest floor too is covered with
\nbushes and shrubs. Over one thousand flowering plants, 120
\nfamilies of vegetation and more than 200 orchid varieties can be
\nfound in the park.<\/p>\n
Between the altitudes of 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters is the
\nthickest submontane forest zone, where visibility is hampered by
\ndifferent kinds of huge trees. Pasang and saniten trees (family
\nof Fagaceae) dominate the area to a height of 30 meters to 40
\nmeters, while rasamala is the tallest, reaching 60 meters in
\nheight. On the ground level are diverse types of rattan, ginger
\nand gorgeous flowers.<\/p>\n
In the montane area (1,500-2,400 m), the forest starts to
\nthin, with trees, reaching a height of only 20 meters. The forest
\nfloor has decorative plants like Begonia isoptera and Labelia
\nangulata.<\/p>\n
The subalpine height (2,400-3,019 m) is characterized by
\nsmall-leaf vegetation, dominated by cantigi (Vacciniun
\nvaringiaefolium).<\/p>\n
The dense forest zone is also the habitat of different bird
\nspecies, making a visit here a must for avid bird watchers.<\/p>\n
Dark colored tiung batu\/sunda (whistling thrush) are most
\neasily noticed. A gentle walk often enables us to spot such birds
\nfeeding on the ground near forest paths.<\/p>\n
Around 250 species, or half of all types of birds existing on
\nJava island -- including the rare Javan hawk-eagle (Spizaetus
\nbartelsi), live there.<\/p>\n
Unlike birds, mammals are more difficult to discover. With
\nsome 60,000 visitors a year, mammals stay away from forest paths
\nand hide themselves in the dense jungle.<\/p>\n
Among the mammals that fortunate visitors may catch sight of
\nare Java's owa or gibbons (Hylobtes moloch), surili or leaf
\nmonkeys (Presbytis comata), lutung or ebony leaf monkeys
\n(Trachypithecus auratus), trenggiling (Manis javanica), and
\nleopards (Phantera pardus). Gibbons are the most prominent of
\nall.<\/p>\n
The gray gibbons with black faces and no tails are the world's
\nrarest species and can only be found in West Java in the wild.
\nHowever, only 100 such gibbons are left in the park. The
\npopulation of the species, which is on the critical list of the
\nWorld Conservation Union (IUCN), has shrunk due to diminishing
\nnatural habitat.<\/p>\n
Visitors who fail to get face to face with the park's unique
\nbirds or other species will find the remarkable scenery a
\nconsolation.<\/p>\n
An hour's hike from the park's Cibodas station will take one
\nto a small lake called Telaga Biru, which is teeming with fish
\nand surrounded by singing birds on nearby bushes.<\/p>\n
The lake's name literally means \"blue lake\" since its water
\nsometimes changes in color from blue to brownish owing to its
\nrich mineral content, which comes from decomposed leaves, other
\norganic materials and dissolved volcanic rock and soil.<\/p>\n
Cibeureum waterfall is the next attraction at an altitude of
\n1,625 meters, offering an extraordinary sight with three streams
\nof water gushing down from a 30-meter height. The largest
\nwaterfall on the left is called Cikundul, the middle Cidendeng
\nand the right Cibeureum. Official sources say the right stream
\ncame from the lava flow of Mount Pangrango and the left from that
\nof Mount Gede. There is no information however, about the middle
\nstream.<\/p>\n
The name Cibeureum for this waterfall means a red river
\nbecause red molds growing on the waterfall's walls, create the
\nillusion of reddish-colored water.<\/p>\n
Other tourist spots in the park are the hot spring (2,150 m);
\nSurya Kencana plain (2,750 m); Lake Situgunung, that is
\naccessible from the gate of Selabintana (70 km from Bogor or near
\nSukabumi); and Cimanaracun and Sawer waterfalls near the lake.<\/p>\n
In his dairy, Wallacea described the waterfalls as beautiful
\nas a painting. But if he had lived to witness the present day
\npark, he might sadly add that Indonesians cannot appreciate
\nnatural beauty as they had marred it with trash. The beautiful
\npainting has turned into a dump.<\/p>",
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