Muara Angke forest needs slight touch to revival
Muara Angke forest needs slight touch to revival
Damar Harsanto
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
The protected mangrove forest in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, has
long served as a haven for different animals and as a research
center for university students. Soon, it will also be the first
eco-tourism site in the city.
In a visit to the forest on Saturday, The Jakarta Post found
the city administration will not have to spend much money to
create road access to the area, as there already is a
three-meter-wide road encircling the 28-hectare forest.
Situated about 300 meters behind the Pantai Indah Kapuk
Hospital, the dirt road to the forest -- parts of which were
covered in grass -- was slippery because of recent rain.
The forest was quiet as no visitors were to be seen. Stilt
birds could be seen on the edges of the marsh, searching for
food.
A guard at one of the five modest security posts in the
forest, Casin, said the area was home to a number of different
birds and animals.
"Long-tailed monkeys, herons and monitor lizards are easily
found here, in addition to various plants, which are often
studied by university students," he said.
He said that groups of up to 50 monkeys lived in the forest,
surviving on fruit from the trees, as well as cassava and bananas
brought by visitors.
The swamp is also a stopping off place for many different
types of birds from Rambut isle in the Thousands islands, Casin
said.
"If you stay overnight here, you will see them. Of course, you
have to deal with the mosquito bites," he said.
Visitors can only walk around the edge of the forest because
most of the wooden walkways that allow visitors to go deeper into
the forest have been closed.
Another forest guard, Prajaya, complained that the forest's
coastline was choked with garbage because Jakartans continued to
dump their trash into the city's rivers.
The city's plan to turn the mangrove forest into a tourist
destination has been challenged by an urban planning expert from
Trisakti University, Yayat Supriana, who cast doubt over the
possible success of the venture.
"The weak spot of the Jakarta administration is that it often
plans things poorly, so many projects are halted halfway
through," he said.
"Past experience shows that there is no cooperation between
the agriculture and forestry agency and the tourism agency. When
something goes wrong, they will shift the blame to each other."