Illegal poachers threaten Ujung Kulon national park
Illegal poachers threaten Ujung Kulon national park
By MMI Ahyani
UJUNG KULON, West Java (JP): The Ujung Kulon National Park,
Java's main sanctuary for biodiversity and endangered species, is
bearing the brunt of a severe lack of security.
An estimated 80 percent of the coral reefs in Ujung Kulon
National Park have been damaged. Fish bombing and forest theft
have been blamed for the environmental degradation.
The lack of personnel and equipment is a dire problem for the
park.
Tri Wibowo, the park chief, said that management has only two
patrol boats and 28 people to secure the 38,543 hectares of Ujung
Kulon peninsula, which accounts for the core of the 120,551
hectare park.
The park has a bigger boat named Macan Kumbang which is not
fast enough to chase intruders stealing fish and coral. It also
has a speedboat, but park management claims there are
insufficient funds to operate the boat.
Wibowo recalled that the park once operated a speedboat from
New Zealand named Kiwi, a luxurious boat by Ujung Kulon
standards. It had a glass panel on the bottom to observe the
underwater scene, but operational costs were just too high,
forcing the park to ground it.
Observation posts on Handeuleum and Peucang islands are also
provided with small motorized boats but they cannot overcome the
large waves of the Indian Ocean.
Wibowo's complaint about the lack of personnel and equipment
is well founded. The rangers have complex jobs -- from monitoring
rhinos, watching visitors and helping researchers to chasing
thieves.
They often risk their lives to perform their jobs as they are
poorly armed. Old fashion rifles and knives are their main
weapons. To compensate for this, rangers learn the Banten
traditional martial art.
Park rangers said fishermen using explosives were especially
dangerous to apprehend. The fishermen usually use fast boats, are
escorted by armed gangs and threaten the rangers with bombs. They
have caused widespread damage to the coral reefs.
"They will attack our boat or blast their own boat when they
know there is no escape. That is to get rid of anything that may
be used by the police as material evidence," said a ranger in
Tanjung Lame.
He recalled an incident in which rangers fired at a fishing
boat. Soon after the incident, a military officer came to the
rangers to intimidate them. It turned out that the officer was
the commandant of the person who was shot.
The environmental criminals often manage to escape legal
responsibility because the material evidence submitted by the
rangers to the police is often lost.
The rangers are left powerless because they do not have the
authority to detain and punish the crooks.
The opening of ecotourism in Ujung Kulon has added more
pressure to preserving the environment. Tourism development has
now reached core areas like Cibunar, Ciramea beach where turtles
lay eggs, Handeuleum island, Cigenter river and Panaitan island.
The local government and the park management do not seem to be
interested in developing tourism in the 19 villages located in
the buffer zone although they have tremendous potential.
Development in the villages would not only lessen pressure in
the core area but would also improve the residents' welfare. The
local government is expected to restrict development projects to
major facilities like tourist resorts, hotels, restaurants and
housing in the core area.
It is believed that the development of the villages would
improve livelihood prospects for the residents so that they would
not encroach on the forests and coral reefs.
The aggressive promotion of tourism in Ujung Kulon has not
been accompanied by efforts to improve security in the park.
Besides, the available tourist facilities are not adequate.
Ironically, the old park information center on the Peucang
island is sorely dilapidated while nearby stands a posh hotel
that offers comfortable rooms for US$35 to $50 per night -- which
probably equals the rangers' one-month salary.