Way Kambas National Park ( id, Taman Nasional Way Kambas, abbreviated TNWK) is a
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
covering 1,300 square kilometres in
Lampung
Lampung ( Lampung: ), officially the Province of Lampung ( id, Provinsi Lampung) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, and ...
province, southern
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. It consists of swamp forest and lowland rain forest, mostly of secondary growth as result of extensive
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars.
Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...
in the 1960s and 1970s.
Despite decreasing populations, the park still has a few critically endangered
Sumatran tigers,
Sumatran elephant
The Sumatran elephant (''Elephas maximus sumatranus'') is one of four recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In 2011, IUCN upgraded the conservation status of the Sumatran elephant from endang ...
s and
Sumatran rhinoceros
The Sumatran rhinoceros (''Dicerorhinus sumatrensis''), also known as the Sumatran rhino, hairy rhinoceros or Asian two-horned rhinoceros, is a rare member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant species of rhinoceros. It is the o ...
es. It also provides excellent birdwatching, with the rare
white-winged wood duck
The white-winged duck or white-winged wood duck (''Asarcornis scutulata'') is a large species of duck, formerly placed in the genus ''Cairina'' with the Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') and allied with the dabbling ducks. However, mtDNA cy ...
among the over 400 species present in the park.
Threats to the park are posed by
poaching
Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights.
Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...
and habitat loss due to illegal logging. Conservation efforts include patrolling and the establishment of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary and the Elephant Conservation Centre.
In 2016, Way Kambas was formally declared an
ASEAN Heritage Park
ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) are selected protected areas in the ASEAN region that are known for their unique biodiversity and ecosystems, wilderness and outstanding values in scenic, cultural, educational, research, recreational and tourism. Its vi ...
.
Flora and fauna
Plant species include ''
Avicennia marina
''Avicennia marina'', commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae (formerly in the Verbenaceae or Avicenniaceae). As with other mangroves, it occurs in the interti ...
'', ''
Sonneratia
''Sonneratia'' is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the ''Sonneratia'' and the ''Duabanga'', but these two are now placed in their own mono ...
'' species, ''
Nypa fruticans
''Nypa fruticans'', commonly known as the nipa palm (or simply nipa, from ms, nipah) or mangrove palm, is a species of palm native to the coastlines and estuarine habitats of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only palm considered adapte ...
'', ''
Melaleuca leucadendra
''Melaleuca leucadendra'', commonly known as weeping paperbark, long-leaved paperbark or white paperbark is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is widespread in northern Australia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and the Torres Strait Island ...
'', ''
Syzygium polyanthum'', ''
Pandanus'' species, ''
Schima wallichii
''Schima wallichii'' is an evergreen tree belonging to the tea family Theaceae
Theaceae (), the tea family, is a family of flowering plants comprising shrubs and trees, including the economically important tea plant, and the ornamental camel ...
'', ''
Shorea
Fruit of a ''Shorea'' species
''Shorea'' is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the governor-general of the British East India Company, 1793–1798. T ...
'' species, ''
Dipterocarpus gracilis
''Dipterocarpus gracilis'' (Tagalog: ''panao'') is a critically endangered species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The species is found in Kalimantan, Bangladesh, India (the Andaman and Nicobar I ...
'', and ''
Gonystylus bancanus
''Gonystylus bancanus'' is a species of tree in the family Thymelaeaceae, growing to over tall.
Distribution and habitat
''Gonystylus bancanus'' is native to Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Its habitat is in lowland swamp ...
''.
[Ministry of Forestry: ''Way Kambas National Park''](_blank)
retrieved 30 January 2011 The sandy shores of the park are dominated by ''
Casuarina equisetifolia''.
The park has 50 species of mammal, many of them
critically endangered. There are about 20
Sumatran rhinoceros
The Sumatran rhinoceros (''Dicerorhinus sumatrensis''), also known as the Sumatran rhino, hairy rhinoceros or Asian two-horned rhinoceros, is a rare member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant species of rhinoceros. It is the o ...
in the area,
[Oyos Saroso H.N.: ''Suhadi risks life for Sumatran rhinos''](_blank)
in The Jakarta Post
''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta.
''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...
, 18 July 2007 down from around 40 in the 1990s.
[International Rhino Foundation](_blank)
retrieved 30 January 2011 The number of
Sumatran elephant
The Sumatran elephant (''Elephas maximus sumatranus'') is one of four recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In 2011, IUCN upgraded the conservation status of the Sumatran elephant from endang ...
s in the park was estimated to be 180 in 2005.
The population of
Sumatran tigers has declined from 36-40 in 2000 to fewer than 30.
[Oyos Saroso H.N: ''Sumatran tigers nearly extinct in Way Kambas''](_blank)
in The Jakarta Post
''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta.
''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...
, 18 January 2011 Other mammals in the park are the
Malayan tapir
The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since ...
,
Sumatran dhole
The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It ...
(''Cuon alpinus sumatrensis'') and
siamang
The siamang (, ; ''Symphalangus syndactylus'') is an arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching in height, a ...
(''Symphalangus syndactylus syndactylus'').
About half of the bird species inhabit the coastal swamps, including
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
s, riverine forest, freshwater and peat swamp forest, and the marshes of the area. The park is one of the last strongholds of the
white-winged wood duck
The white-winged duck or white-winged wood duck (''Asarcornis scutulata'') is a large species of duck, formerly placed in the genus ''Cairina'' with the Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') and allied with the dabbling ducks. However, mtDNA cy ...
, with a population between 24-38 birds left, the largest in Sumatra.
[Zieren, M., B. Wiryawan, H.A. Susanto: ''Significant Coastal Habitats, Wildlife and Water Resources in Lampung'', Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island, USA, 1999](_blank)
/ref> Among the other 405 species of bird recorded in the park, are the Storm's stork, woolly-necked stork
The Asian woollyneck and African woollyneck (''Ciconia episcopus'' and ''Ciconia microscelis'') are two species of large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds singly, or in small loose colonies. It is distributed in a wide varie ...
, lesser adjutant
The lesser adjutant (''Leptoptilos javanicus'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Like other members of its genus, it has a bare neck and head. It is however more closely associated with wetland habitats where it is solitary ...
, crested fireback
The crested fireback (''Lophura ignita'') is a medium-sized, up to 70 cm long, forest pheasant with a peacock-like dark crest, bluish black plumage, reddish brown rump, black outer tail feathers, red iris and bare blue facial skin. The female ...
, great argus
The great argus (''Argusianus argus'') is a species of pheasant from Southeast Asia.
It is not to be confused with the two species of closely related crested argus, genus ''Rheinardia''.
Taxonomy
Carl Linnaeus gave the great argus its specifi ...
and Oriental darter
The Oriental darter (''Anhinga melanogaster'') is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a long and slender neck with a straight, pointed bill and, like the cormorant, it hunts for fish while its body is submerged in water ...
.
Among reptiles, the endangered false gharial crocodile is found in the coastal swamps.
Threats and conservation
Way Kambas was established as game reserve by the Dutch administration in 1937, and in 1989 was declared a National Park.
Significant encroachment has occurred along the southern boundary of the park by villagers claiming traditional land rights. Roads and trails into the park are starting points for illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...
that penetrates into the interior of the park. This resulted in the forest coverage declining to 60% of the park. In 2009-10 an area of 6,000 hectares which had been occupied by squatters for decades was cleared of them.[Oyos Saroso H.N.: ''Environment Watch: Govt to pump money into embattled national park''](_blank)
in The Jakarta Post
''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta.
''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...
, 28 January 2011
Wells left behind by relocated communities in 1984 have proven to be deadly traps for the animals, including baby elephants, rhinos and tigers. In a conservation effort between 2008 and 2010 around 2,000 such wells have been closed.
Poaching has been a significant threat, often involving soldiers and in a 2002 case even military officers. In recent years poaching has been reported to be more under control, with no cases of rhinoceros poaching, and no cases of tiger poaching reported between 2004 and 2011.
In early 2011 the Ministry of Forestry announced the allocation of funds to establish a rare flora and fauna rehabilitation centre in the park.
Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary
A managed breeding centre named Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) of was built up in 1995. The goal of the sanctuary is to maintain a small number of rhinos for research, "insurance", awareness-building, and the long-term goal of developing a breeding program, to help ensure the survival of the species in the wild. The founding population was five Sumatran rhinos, most have been moved from zoos to the large enclosures with natural habitat at the SRS. Since 1997, Rhino Protection Units have been established. These are trained anti-poaching teams of 4-6 people that patrol a minimum of 15 days per month the key areas of the park to deactivate traps and identify illegal intruders.
Andatu, a calf who born on June 23, 2013 is the fourth calf live in the zoo all over the world or semi-in-situ captive breeding likes in Way Kambas Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. The mother is Ratu and the father is Andalas who came from Cincinnati, USA in 2007. In earlier October 2003, Andatu height is almost the same of the mother height. The Sanctuary is not open to public. There are currently 8 rhinos living in the sanctuary, Sedah Mirah (female), Rosa (female), Bina (female), Ratu (female), Andalas (male), Harapan (male), Andatu (male) and Delilah (female). The most recent birth was of a female called Sedah Mirah in 24 March 2022.
Elephant–human conflict
A significant source of conflict between the park and surrounding communities is posed by crop raiding wild elephants. In a study conducted in the 1990s, it was recorded that wild elephants damaged over 45 hectares of corn, rice, cassava, beans and other crops, and around 900 coconut, banana and other trees in 18 villages around the park. Over a period of 12 years, elephants killed or injured 24 people near the park. Villagers attempt to reduce elephant damage by guarding fields, digging trenches between, and modifying their cropping patterns. In 2010 it was reported that villagers used bonfires around their homes to scare away the elephants while forest rangers have been using tame elephants to help drive away wild herds.
Elephant Conservation Centre
The Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) was established in the 1980s. The elephants in the centre have been domesticated and are used for heavy work, ecotourism, patrol and breeding. Paintings created by elephants at the centre are sold by Novica, a commercial online arts agent associated with the National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...
, with about half of the proceeds assisting endangered elephants throughout Asia.
The ECC will be provided with an elephant hospital which will become the first of its kind in Indonesia and the largest in Asia. The elephant hospital will be built on a 5-hectare area with a Rp10 billion ($1.11 million) investment and expected to start operations in 2014.
During 2016 and 2017, the Centre saw six new calves born. Chusnunia Chalim
Chusnunia Chalim is an Indonesian politician who is the Vice governor of Lampung. She was the regent of East Lampung Regency, and is the first woman to hold the office.[East Lampung
East Lampung Regency is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Lampung Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 5,325.03 km2 and a population of 951,639 people at the 2010 census and 1,110,340 at the 2020 census. The regency seat is at the town ...]
, has hoped to promote awareness of the whole park through the Centre.East Lampung promotes national park with camping tour, festival
Jakarta Post, 29 August 2017. Accessed 18 March 2018.
References
External links
* — Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia
Pictures of SRS, Way Kambason th
Rhino Resource Center
{{authority control
Lampung
East Lampung Regency
Geography of Lampung
National parks of Indonesia
Protected areas established in 1989
Tourist attractions in Indonesia
Tourist attractions in Lampung
ASEAN heritage parks