Ujung Kulon threatened by increased human activity
Ujung Kulon threatened by increased human activity
By Ali Nurdin
Threats to the abundant flora and fauna at Ujung Kulon National Park do not come from afar, but from the actions of humans, be they illegal hunters, surrounding communities, tourists and even the park wardens.
Visitors only have to look along the Tanjung Layar-Ciramea coastline in the southern section of the park. Plastic garbage and cans abound. Even more garbage is to be found of Peucang Island, one of the entry points to the park where tourist accommodation is located.
The two sources of the garbage are visitors to the park and garbage dumped in the sea and carried to shore by currents. Wherever it comes from, the refuse of plastic and cans is extremely dangerous to the environment of this area, which UNESCO designated a Natural World Heritage Site. It should rightfully be a site free of all nonorganic waste which will not biodegrade for hundreds of years.
Ujung Kulon's garbage problem is currently limited to aspects of hygiene and attractiveness. However, if the volume continues to increase, there is the possibility that it will become a major threat to the wildlife.
Ujung Kulon's administrators provide a standard directive to visitors "not to leave any items, and do not take anything". Not all visitors realize the importance of abiding by the rule, particularly domestic visitors.
"Foreign visitors are more careful about their garbage," said Sudiono, the head of the conservation unit for Peucang Island and Mount Payung. "They usually bring their own garbage bag."
Ujung Kulon offers many attractions. The one-horned Javan rhinoceros is prominent among them even though the population of the animals is now believed to be only about 50 animals. In Cigenter and Cidaon, visitors can spot the banteng (wild ox) and green-crested starling.
Deer, monkeys and monitor lizards also populate the 220- hectare Handeulem islands and Peucang Island spanning 472 hectares. Most visitors enter by land through Tamanjaya heading to Legon Pakis or Kalejetan, which is at the neck of the Ujung Kulon coast. Other wildlife found in the park include wild pigs, squirrels, gibbons, crocodiles, turtles and various bird species.
Ujung Kulon's territory covers a total area of 120,551 hectares, comprising 76,214 hectares of land and 44,337 hectares of sea. The biggest portion is the 38,543 hectares of coastal territory which is the rhinos' last refuge, followed by Mt. Honje, 19,499 hectares, Panaitan Island, 17,500 hectares, and a chain of smaller islands. The park is home to 700 flora species, 57 of them classified as rare, 35 mammal species, five primates species, 59 reptile species, 22 amphibian species, 240 bird species, 72 insect species, 142 fish species and 33 crustacean species.
There are also historical attractions. On Panaitan Island near Mt. Raksa, there is an elephant statue from the Hindu era. The island's population was decimated by a catastrophic explosion of Krakatau in 1883. In Tanjung Layar, the westernmost point of Java which was predicted in the 1800s to become an international trade center, there are remnants of a main road and Dutch prison.
Most visitors come for a spectacular immersion in nature. Swimming in the calm seas of Peucang Island, watching sundown at Tanjung Layar, surfing off Panaitan Island, fishing or observing the marine life of the Copong Reef are among the draws.
Ironically, the park's huge attraction for visitors is threatening its future. Increased tourist numbers mean more funds to be used for the running of the park. But the more humans which come into contact with the area, the greater the potential for damage, through careless garbage disposal and irresponsible acts.
The fears are not trivial. Tourist-related developments on the West Java coast are spreading from the north to south, nearing Ujung Kulon. Hotel, resorts and golf courses have been built at Tanjung Lesung and Camara, about 25 kilometers from the boundary of the national park. It appears the trend will continue in the next few years. Much of the idle land fringing the border of the park has been bought by major investors from Jakarta.
The most serious threat to the park is found in the area immediately bordering population sites, usually known as neighboring areas. Almost 50,000 people live in 19 villages, most of them impoverished, along a 95-kilometer stretch of border.
Most of the people are farmers. Although there are markers placed every 100 meters along the park's boundary, it is not unusual for locals to farm within the park. Illegal logging is rife in the Mt. Honje area. A report of the park chief in March 1999, states 1,130 hectares of the park are now used as rice fields and crop land. There are 181 families living in the park.
If the trend to take over the land for human use continues, there are fears the national park's area will shrink. Many people have moved the demarcation markers to conceal the fact they are farming within the park's area.
"Frankly, the local population's understanding of the importance of conservation within the park is still very low," said Husein Maulana, information officer for the park in Labuan.
There are also the problems of illegal hunting and plundering of marine resources, such as coral reefs. Almost every day a bird or other type of animal is caught illegally, either for sale or consumption by the hunter. The park rangers, numbering 120, are too few to monitor the huge area of the park.
Several steps have been taken to try to increase the local population's understanding of the importance of protecting wildlife in Ujung Kulon, including taking legal measures against hunters, information sessions and community outreach.
"Information is disseminated almost every week with the assistance of village chiefs and other local figures. But it appears not to have been very effective," said Endjat Sudarjat, head of staff for the park.
Efforts to increase the economic activities of the locals have included donations of seedlings and hives for honey bees, ducks, chicken and carp and agribusiness training. But the efforts conducted in conjunction with various non-governmental organizations have not been able to fully change the local population's tendency to plunder the natural riches of the park.
Some of the locals explained why they resorted to hunting and other illegal activities.
"From way back my work has been to hunt birds," said a resident of Ujung Jaya, a village on the boundary of the park. "If I cannot find a bird to sell, then I don't eat."
In his 50s, the man acknowledged that there was the distribution of the bee hives and chicken coops. "But not everybody got a share of the distribution. And what are we supposed to do for food when we are waiting for the harvest or for the livestock to mature?"
Economic factors appear to be the main reason they engage in illegal hunting. The most appropriate method for winning the locals over to conservation cause is to involve them and show them the benefits. This is where the non-governmental organizations will be important because they are noted for being closer to the general population than government officials.
Several non-governmental organizations have become actively involved in the park's activities in the past 15 years. They include WWF, Mitra Rhino, Skephi, Latin, Mandiri Foundation, Papila, HP2M, Alaska and others who activities range from environmental education for elementary school students, cleanup of plastic garbage and studies of the rhino population.
"Before, the people considered the park officials to be their enemy, but now the relationship is improving. This is one of the results from working with the non-governmental organizations," said Herman Fauzi, a former activist in Latin and Skephi who was born and raised in one of the villages on the park's boundary.
He regretted the prevailing opinion that the locals should be held responsible from ruining the flora and fauna of the park because "that is the responsibility of us all".
Optimal and effective protection of Ujung Kulon will only be achieved through involving all members of society, not merely the local people. If not, our grandchildren will only know the wonders of Ujung Kulon through bedtime stories of a place destroyed by human shortsightedness.