Real action on parks needed<\/p>\n
By Winarta Adisubrata<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): For more than a decade Indonesia has had a
\nNational Conservation Plan and a National Conservation Strategy
\nand many management proposals pertaining to the further
\nmaintenance of dozens of national parks. But what the country
\nneeds now, more than anything, is the implementation of a program
\nto develop and professionally manage a system of national parks.
\nThis should be in addition to the other categories of reserves,
\nsuch as Cagar Alam (strict Nature Reserves) and Suaka Margasatwa
\n(Game Reserves).<\/p>\n
Based on more than a decade of lay observations, the lack of
\nreal action over national parks is due to a scarcity of skilled,
\nprofessional manpower and sophisticated equipment, and
\ninsufficient understanding on the part of planners, and a lack of
\nfunding.<\/p>\n
Gunung Leuser (in Aceh and North Sumatra), Ujung Kulon and
\nGunung Gede-Pangrango (both in West Java), Baluran (East Jawa)
\nand Komodo in East Nusa Tenggara were the first five national
\nparks in Indonesia, declared in March 1980. Since then, many
\nconservation areas have been officiated as national parks in
\nalmost every province.<\/p>\n
Being managed for the enjoyment and benefit of the nation,
\nnational parks are also intended to protect and preserve the
\nnatural heritage of the nation.<\/p>\n
According to \"The National Conservation Plan For Indonesia\"
\n(Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Bogor,
\nJune, 1981, Field Report of UNDP\/FAO National Park Development
\nProject INS\/78\/061) Indonesian national parks should conform to
\nthe international criteria outlined for national parks by the
\nInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
\nResources (IUCN).<\/p>\n
As stipulated by the IUCN, a national park is \"a relatively
\nlarge area\": (1) where one or several ecosystems are not
\nmaterially altered by human exploitation and occupation, where
\nplant and animal species, geomorphological sites and habitats are
\nof scientific, educative and recreational interest or which
\ncontains a natural landscape of great beauty; (2) where the
\nhighest competent authority of the country has taken steps to
\nprevent or eliminate exploitation or occupation in the whole area
\nand to enforce effectively the conservation of ecological,
\ngeomorphological or aesthetic features which have led to its
\nestablishment and (3) where visitors are allowed to enter, under
\nspecial conditions, for inspirational, educative, cultural and
\nrecreational purposes.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is richly endowed with extensive wild areas, so it
\nis possible to enforce further criteria to ensure that only the
\nbest areas are selected as national parks, and to ensure that
\nthese will be of benefit to the local people.<\/p>\n
According to Dr. John MacKinnon (1981), in Indonesia it is
\npossible to raise the size criteria for national parks to 100,000
\nhectares for national parks on the large islands, namely Sumatra,
\nKalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya, and to 10,000 hectares for
\nthe smaller islands, namely Maluku, Nusa Tenggara and Java.<\/p>\n
To ensure that national parks serve a conservation function,
\nonly areas rated as the highest priority in the National
\nConservation Plan should be considered.<\/p>\n
To achieve the desired levels of recreational and educational
\nuse, national parks should all be reasonably accessible from
\nmajor population centers or tourist routes.<\/p>\n
In the case of Indonesia, national parks must be clearly seen
\nto be in the regional interest so that their establishment will
\nconstitute a benefit, rather than an added hardship to the rural
\npeople living around them. Such benefits can include:
\n(1) preservation of a high quality living environment.
\n(2) Protection of water sources.
\n(3) Establishment, where necessary, of buffer zones.
\n(4) Job opportunities for working in the park or created by the
\nlocal tourism industry.
\n(5) Special developments around parks, e.g., schools, roads and
\nirrigation improvements.
\n(6) In rare cases where it is necessary to relocate people
\nfurther away from parks, they must be given compensatory land
\nholdings of at least the same value as their original land.<\/p>\n
In 1981 MacKinnon judged the standards of management in
\nexisting reserves as poor. Regretfully I have to say (based on my
\npersonal observations in the Gunung Leuser National Park, as well
\nas in Pulau Seribu National Park) the present situation has not
\nimproved much compared to that of 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
Probably thanks to the strong commitment of the local people
\nand the near proximity of the tourist concentration in Bali, the
\nBali Barat National Park enjoys better management than the others
\nI have observed.<\/p>\n
To say the least, only minimum controls have been imposed on
\nagricultural expansion inside reserves. The list of violations is
\nstill very long: timber and rattan stealing, poaching, grazing of
\ndomestic animals and harvesting of fodder are the general rule
\nmore often than the exception. Standards of upkeep of trails,
\nroads, buildings, files and equipment are poor.<\/p>\n
In many cases, this lack of protection is due to the
\ninadequate budget allowed for the provision of necessary staff
\nand quarters and a lack of clear management planning.<\/p>\n
One of the existing obstacles which can be overcome in the
\nnear future is the fact that many management plans have been
\nwritten in English with expatriate assistance, so that few local
\npeople ever read or understand them clearly.<\/p>\n
Most management plans are too long with too detailed
\ninformation about the reserves, so that the overall strategy for
\nmanaging the park is obscured.<\/p>\n
Another disappointing thing is the fact that management plans
\nhave not been discussed much with the local administrations or
\napproved by Bappeda (Regional Development Planning Board) and
\nBappenas (the National Development Planning Board) to guarantee
\nthe proper support and financing needed for implementation.<\/p>\n
Most Indonesian reserves are examples of ecosystems where the
\nemphasis is on protecting the whole ecosystem and its flora and
\nfauna.<\/p>\n
Most plants and animals in Indonesia are best conserved in
\nthis way but in certain cases the existing reserve system is
\ninadequate. In protecting (1) migrating species, (2) animals
\nwhose ranges are so large they extend outside reserves, (3)
\nanimals and plants so rare that adequate large populations cannot
\nbe included in reserves, (4) species whose survival is threatened
\nby the arrival of competitive exotic species and (5) species
\nwhose uncontrolled collection and exploitation is threatening
\ntheir survival. In these cases species-specific conservation
\naction may be required.<\/p>\n
Three types of species conservation are envisaged:
\nA> In situ species conservation, where projects are designed to<\/p>\n
improve protection of particular species in the wild or manage<\/p>\n
reserves for the benefit of those species.
\nB> Ex situ species conservation, where species can be<\/p>\n
propagated or bred in captivity for reintroduction to the<\/p>\n
wild.
\nC> Translation or rescue operation, where species are moved<\/p>\n
from one area to another.<\/p>\n
Research is vital for conservation success, first to know what
\nto save and secondly to help design a strategy for saving it.
\nThe overall aim of conservation is to preserve as much as
\npossible of the planet's genetic diversity for the enjoyment and
\nbenefit of mankind. We clearly must know what that diversity is.
\nWe need basic data both qualitative (species lists covering
\ndistribution and richness) and quantitative (densities and
\nturnover) so that we can select areas for reserves.<\/p>\n
To conclude my observations, its is worth noting that the
\nIsland of Java now has less than 10 percent of its area covered
\nby forest and more than 75 percent of the country's 190 million
\npopulation inhabit only 5 percent of the whole land area of the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
We do not need a futurologist to tell us that the population
\ncapacity of Java is under more pressure compared to other
\nislands. And the rapid growth of industrial, urban and
\nagricultural areas across the island increases the burden the on
\nthe island. And if has not yet passed the limit, we will soon
\nhave to accept that suddenly Java will become an overcrowded and
\nhectic city-island, not that different from the island-city of
\nSingapore.<\/p>\n
The writer is a corresponding member of the IUCN's Commission on
\nEducation.<\/p>",
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