Banten: Home of nature, wildlife and marine life

Banten: Home of nature, wildlife and marine life

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): Many people have heard of Ujung Kulon National
Park, an amazing area of diversity in West Java. But what people
may not realize is that Banten, the area in which Ujung Kulon is
situated, is home to an immense variety flora and fauna as well
as marine life in an affluent ecosystem.

Ujung Kulon, one of the country's best places for wildlife and
forests and a registered natural World Heritage Site, is home to
the famous one-horned Javan rhinoceros, which wanders freely,
though often shying away from tourists, as they have done for a
myriad of time.

Ujung Kulon, which means west point, became a subject for
attention by international botanists in the 1980s. After
Indonesia won its bid for independence, the area was declared a
Nature Reserve in 1958. But this was not the first time Ujung
Kulon was named so. It first happened in 1921, during Dutch
colonialism. It was officially dubbed a national park in 1992,
together with the Krakatau islands and Komodo Island.

A member of the advisory board of the South Bantenese
Developing Foundation (SBDF), F. Rahardi, said that Banten has
more to offer than Ujung Kulon.

"Ujung Kulon has an immense disposition of wildlife. But the
whole Banten area is, actually, rich in flora, fauna and marine
life," he said.

Banten, with over 2 million hectares of land -- half of the
West Java province -- has four regencies: Lebak, Pandeglang,
Serang and Tangerang. SBDF is a nonprofit organization related to
a private firm developing a 1,500-hectare Tanjung Lesung tourist
resort. The foundation holds several programs to improve
community lives in the nearby village of Tanjung Jaya.

SBDF's activities included education/vocation, health affairs,
art and culture and socioeconomic improvements. To improve social
and economic conditions, the foundation conducts several programs
to make the people self-reliant and have a permanent income.
These include establishing traditional markets, constructing
roads, making available clean water, cooking lessons and
recognizing marketing and distribution.

"Banten was originally home to more diversified wildlife,
including wild cattle banteng (bos Javanicus) and wild pigs,"
said Rahardi.

He said that in the area where Tanjung Lesung is located,
banteng and wild pigs used to be sighted almost every day. "But
most of them have migrated to more remote areas now," he said.

Ujung Kulon is situated on the southwestern tip of Java. It
covers 120,551 hectares, including 44,337 hectares of surrounding
reefs and ocean waters. The area has 700 species of flora, 57 of
which are rare plant species. The fauna includes 35 species of
mammals, five species of primates, 59 species of reptiles, 22
species of amphibians, 250 species of birds, 72 species of
insects, 142 species of fish and 33 species of coral reefs.

Rahardi said the endangered rhinoceros competed with the
banteng for food.

According to a survey conducted between 1967 and 1997, only 50
rhinos to 60 rhinos are left in Ujung Kulon National Park. Other
sources quote the total number at 80. The number of banteng is
estimated to be 800, according to the survey. Most of the Arenga
Palm (arenga obtusifolia), a plant eaten by the rhinos, have been
destroyed; therefore, it is difficult for the rhinos to find
food, and as a result, they cannot multiply easily.

Rahardi said that in plant life, Ujung Kulon was the last
natural forest in Java.

"However, there is also a lot of coastal vegetation in all of
Banten. There's a lot of gebang (corypa elata), a kind of palm
species, which was originally considered expensive and good for
decorations. Unfortunately, many local people and developers cut
down much of gebang," he said.

Other fauna species include keben, ketapang (terminalia
catappa), nyamplung (Calophyllum inophylum), bakau (bruguiera
conjugata), api-api, katang, honje, moon orchid (phalaenopsis
amabilis), bintaro, kedondong (spondias), mlinjo (gnetum gnemon),
blimbing wuluh (averhoa bilimbi), kepel (cauliflower) and jambu
air (syzygium aqueum), he said.

"Some residents and property developers in Banten do not
understand that many of the plant life species are worthwhile,"
he said.

"Many developers just cut down the trees, including the gebang
and replant with new decorative plants. Actually, all they needed
to do was just rearranged the plants," he said.

Luckily, there have been efforts recently to preserve the
plant life, he added.

Fauna

Rahardi said that various species of wildlife were also still
living in Banten. In addition to the rhinoceros in Ujung Kulon,
banteng and wild pigs, there are deer, mouse deer, barking deer,
wild cats, civets, wild dogs, squirrels and bats or flying foxes.

He said the only disturbing creatures were the wild pig, as
they destroyed plantations.

"There are numerous bird species in Banten, including
rhinoceros hornbill, green peafowl, crested serpent-eagle, Javan
kingfisher and green jungle-fowl.

Also located in Banten is Pulau Dua, which is well-known as a
bird sanctuary. The eight-hectare Pulau Dua, is one of the
world's foremost bird islands. During breeding season it is a
favorite site for tens of thousands of birds, including species
of ice birds. Various species breeding on Pulau Dua comprise
ibis, egrets, snake birds, doves, teals, pelicans, cormorants,
black-crowned night herons, coastal sea birds, parakeets,
parrots, Indonesian beo (mynah birds), burung buntul and bangau
(white egret). The white-bellied eagle, herons and thousands of
wading birds from the north remain on the island for a while
after the breeding season.

Banten is also home to a variety of reptiles. There are a
limited number of restuarine crocodile, which can reach up to
seven meters in length. Green turtles can also be found here, as
well as frogs, lizards and snakes, including pythons and cobras.
Dragonflies and butterflies are also found here.

Marine life

Claimed as a tourist area, Banten has some great beaches,
which are ideal for swimming, snorkeling, fishing, water-skiing
and sailing. About two hours drive from Jakarta, Banten offers a
beautiful, immaculate white-sand shoreline within the protective
enclosure of a bay. The swimming beaches, without rocks or
undertow, have innocuous surf one meter to two meters high. The
steady breeze assures a fresh climate and a paucity of mosquito.
The distant silhouette of Krakatau can be seen from the beaches,
and the Carita area serves as a convenient base for outings to
Krakatau.

The twinkling lights you see out at sea at night all along
this coast are from platforms built on stakes. Beneath the
platforms, rectangular flat nets are drawn up when a large number
of fish, attracted by the bright kerosene lamps, have gathered
under lamps and over the nets.

Inland, traveling over a few hills, there is the Curug Gendang
waterfall. The village of Sindanglaut in this area marks the
furthest reach of the tsunamis from the 1883 Krakatau eruption.

Meanwhile, Karang Bolong, a recreational spot facing the Sunda
Strait, has huge perforated boulders which fell here during the
Krakatau eruption. A beach meanders in and out of inlets lined
with coconut trees.

Banten also has amazing coral reefs, said Rahardi.

"It's not true if some people say that most of the coral reefs
were damaged by the Krakatau eruption," he said.

He said that Banten remained having a wide variety of marine
habitats, including rocky shores, mangroves, mud flats, sea-grass
beds, coral reefs and sea trenches, offering assorted and
marvelous views into the ecosystem beneath the surface of the
water.

The most common clown fish are golden brown in color with
white bands across the body. Other fish include the imaginatively
patterned angelfish, of which the emperor angelfish with blue and
yellow horizontal stripes and a bright orange tail is a wonderful
example.

"There are still the cliche problems, however, that local
people hunt several kinds of fish and lobster for only Rp 20,000
(about US$3) a day," Rahardi said.

He said economic factors appeared to be the main reason they
engaged in illegal fishing, using poisonous substance which also
put their lives at risks.

Several steps have been taken to try to increase the local
population's understanding and awareness of the importance of
protecting the wildlife.

But, Rahardi said, "Local people do not have to know about
natural preservation measures. Just give them job."

Businesspeople running tourist-related services in the area
should also understand that more visitors could also become a
major threat to the wildlife.