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.