West Kalimantan national park has ecotourism potential

West Kalimantan national park has ecotourism potential

Betung Kerihun National Park in Kapuas Hulu district, West
Kalimantan, holds strong prospects as an ecotourism destination.
The Jakarta Post's photographer PJ Leo visited the site from July
26 to Aug. 4 at the invitation of the World Wild Fund for Nature
(WWF).

KAPUAS HULU, West Kalimantan (JP): Kapuas Hulu district in
West Kalimantan is home to various Dayak nature and cultural
attractions which would be viable as ecotourism packages,
especially with promotion from Betung Kerihun National Park, the
biggest conservation area situated on the border of West
Kalimantan and Sarawak, Malaysia.

It has an area of 800,000 hectares, about 5.5 percent of West
Kalimantan's total 14,807,700 hectares.

WWF, an international agency handling many forest conservation
projects, is among those who consider Betung Kerihun National
Park's potential as a tourist attraction. The park has an
abundance of flora and fauna which is of great value and deserves
to be conserved.

Betung Kerihun National Park merges with the Lanjak Entimau
Nature Conservation area in Sarawak, the first transfrontier
reserve in Asia, designated in 1995.

"It would be a pity not to use this district for ecotourism
purposes," said Soewartono, unit head of Betung Kerihun National
Park. "Therefore, conserving its nature and selling its beauty is
our priority."

Indonesia is believed to hold greater capability to earn a
fortune from ecotourism than other tropical countries.

Betung Kerihun National Park will be able to earn its share of
ecotourism profits if it is able to improve accommodation and
transportation for tourists.

In the meanwhile, tourists also can enjoy the stunning
architecture of traditional Dayak houses in Kapuas Hulu district,
with the oldest buildings 12 meters in height and new ones
measuring two meters. They also can peek into the lifestyle of
Dayaks living together under one roof.

How do you get to Betung Kerihun National Park? A Cessna
airplane from Pontianak or from other towns in West Kalimantan
takes visitors to Putussibau. The journey continues on through
the Putussibau-Nanga Badau "fast track", an alternative to
staying too long on the ferry which stops in Embaloh Hulu
district.

From Sadap village in Embaloh Hulu, the journey continues on a
lake in Betung Kerihun National Park, using a boat owned by local
villagers. The long journey is an adventure in itself and should
not be missed.

But time is of the essence. The local government should be
quick to respond to the needs of tourism, and the central
government should not hesitate to support ecotourism proposals.