Muara Angke forest needs only slight upgrade<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The protected mangrove forest in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, has
\nlong served as a haven for different animals and as a research
\ncenter for university students. Soon, it will also be the first
\neco-tourism site in the city.<\/p>\n
In a visit to the forest on Saturday, The Jakarta Post found
\nthe city administration will not have to spend much money to
\ncreate road access to the area, as there already is a
\nthree-meter-wide road encircling the 28-hectare forest.<\/p>\n
Situated about 300 meters behind the Pantai Indah Kapuk
\nHospital, the dirt road to the forest -- parts of which were
\ncovered in grass -- was slippery because of recent rain.<\/p>\n
The forest was quiet as no visitors were to be seen. Stilt
\nbirds could be seen on the edges of the marsh, searching for
\nfood.<\/p>\n
A guard at one of the five modest security posts in the
\nforest, Casin, said the area was home to a number of different
\nbirds and animals.<\/p>\n
\"Long-tailed monkeys, herons and monitor lizards are easily
\nfound here, in addition to various plants, which are often
\nstudied by university students,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that groups of up to 50 monkeys lived in the forest,
\nsurviving on fruit from the trees, as well as cassava and bananas
\nbrought by visitors.<\/p>\n
The swamp is also a stopping off place for many different
\ntypes of birds from Rambut isle in the Thousands islands, Casin
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"If you stay overnight here, you will see them. Of course, you
\nhave to deal with the mosquito bites,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Visitors can only walk around the edge of the forest because
\nmost of the wooden walkways that allow visitors to go deeper into
\nthe forest have been closed.<\/p>\n
Another forest guard, Prajaya, complained that the forest's
\ncoastline was choked with garbage because Jakartans continued to
\ndump their trash into the city's rivers.<\/p>\n
The city's plan to turn the mangrove forest into a tourist
\ndestination has been challenged by an urban planning expert from
\nTrisakti University, Yayat Supriana, who cast doubt over the
\npossible success of the venture.<\/p>\n
\"The weak spot of the Jakarta administration is that it often
\nplans things poorly, so many projects are halted halfway
\nthrough,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Past experience shows that there is no cooperation between
\nthe agriculture and forestry agency and the tourism agency. When
\nsomething goes wrong, they will shift the blame to each other.\"<\/p>",
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