Growing concern persists over Ujung Kulon National Park

Text and photos by PJ Leo

UJUNG KULON, West Java (JP): Mention Ujung Kulon, meaning literally the western tip, and you call to mind the habitat of the single-horned Javan rhinoceros (rhinoceros sondaicus). As the forest in Ujung Kulon is home to rare flora and fauna, it remains a reserve area on the island of Java which is one of the most densely populated islands in the world.

In 1992, the Ujung Kulon area was officially made Ujung Kulon National Park, a forest area of 120,551 hectares. As there are only a few places like Ujung Kulon remaining in the world, the same year Ujung Kulon National Park was honored by the United Nation's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as a natural world heritage site. With this status Ujung Kulon has enjoyed an international reputation. For most people though, Ujung Kulon is synonymous with the Javan rhino.

"Many of the tourists visiting Ujung Kulon National Park not only enjoy themselves on the beach but also go into the forest to see the Javan rhinos," said Arif Tongkagie, head of the conservation section of Ujung Kulon National Park.

"Visitor noise does affect the lives of various animals in this area," he added.

However, a nearby tourist disagreed with this. He said the noise made by tourists visiting Ujung Kulon National Park is not the only thing that has disturbed the animals in this area.

"Electrical power generators owned by plush cottages on Peucang island, which is in fact a long way from the habitat of the Javan rhinos, are operational 24 hours a day. The sound they produce must in a way disturb the lives of the animals in this nature reserve," said Robert, (not his real name).

PT Wanawisata Alamhayati, which manages cottages on Peucang, Handeuleum and Taman Jaya islands, should pay more attention to this matter, because Peucang island belongs to the area of Ujung Kulon National Park. This is especially the case considering that the management's board members include former high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Forestry.

"As businessmen in the tourism area, they (the management) should help conserve Ujung Kulon. What have they built very luxurious and air-conditioned cottages and other facilities for? They should have, instead, built cottages conforming to the natural condition in this area, for example cottages in the form of wooden stilted houses with bamboo-plaited walls and thatched roofing that the locals usually live in, with the beautiful rural panorama in the background.

"There would be no electricity and illumination would depend on kerosene lamps. So, the noisy electrical power generators would not be needed," repeated Robert, an environmental lover.

The sound of the electrical power generators is only slightly audible in the cottage area, but a little further into the forest on Peucang island, it is possible to hear the noise resonating in your ears. Indeed, PT Wanawisata Alamhayati has intentionally placed the electrical power generators deep in the forest area so that their noise will not disturb the guests in the cottages.

Peucang and Handeuleum islands are favorite tourist sites in Ujung Kulon National Park. Both offer beautiful natural scenery, beaches of white sand and a pristine sea.

The Directorate General of Nature Protection and Conservation from the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations, which is assigned to manage Ujung Kulon National Park, should be able to exercise tighter control over the area.

This is particularly the case with respect to the presence of cottages within or outside of the national park because the community has expressed their alarming concern for the nature reserve. They hope that Ujung Kulon National Park will continue to have a pristine sea, clean beaches of white sand, various sounds of animals from the forest area and, of course, the Javan rhinos themselves.

Their concern is not unreasonable. In an attempt to lure visitors, a growing number of hotels and tourist resorts are being established closer to the national park, as their owners capitalize on Ujung Kulon's world-renowned reputation. Unfortunately, these practices place Ujung Kulon on the verge of a dangerous predicament.

An example of this is Kertamukti village, located in the buffer zone of the national park, where PT Buana Bintan Sumadra has built its Ciputih Beach Resort Hotel. Similarly, in Taman Jaya village, located in the neck area of Ujung Kulon and bordered by the forest habitat of the Javan rhinos, businessmen from Jakarta have appropriated the land up to the seashore.

While the construction of hotels and other amusement places continues, a road leading to Ujung Kulon National Park from the Sumur subdistrict to Taman Jaya village, has simply been ignored. All parties are helpless with regard to repairing the road, which is littered with large potholes.

"If you go along this road in the wet season, you will feel as if you were taking part in the Paris-Dakar rally," said Muksin, a driver at Ujung Kulon National Park.