Mt. Gede closed to hikers

JAKARTA (JP): Mt. Gede in Pangrango, West Java, is closed to hikers this month.

A decree issued by the Mt. Gede, Pangrango Nature Park, Directorate General of Nature Preservation, stipulates that from Aug. 1 to Aug. 31, the mountain is closed to hikers.

A number of hikers from Jakarta and various places who were not aware of the decree had arrived at the foot of the mountain. They were disappointed upon knowing about the temporary closure of the area.

"It has been a tradition for us to visit Mt. Gede in August," Inggrid from the University of Indonesia's nature lovers group told Antara last week.

Head of the Pangrango Nature Park, Harjanto W. Sukotjo, said that the area was temporarily closed due to work to restore damaged areas.

Sources said that the environmental damage to the area of Mt. Gede-Pangrango occurred not only due to the ignorance of visitors about the environment, but also because of the limited resources and manpower to maintain the park.