Betung Kerihun National Park
Encyclopedia
Betung Kerihun National Park (previously Bentuang Karimun) is a national park in the province of West Kalimantan
on the island of Borneo
, Indonesia
. It is located inland, along the Malaysian border. The park was established in 1995, and has a total area of 8000 km² (3,088.8 sq mi).
Together with the 2000 km² (772.2 sq mi) Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary
in Malaysia, it has been proposed to form a World Heritage Site
named the "Transborder Rainforest Heritage of Borneo".
(1767 m (5,797.2 ft)). The park is located at the headwaters of the Kapuas River
.
The park largely consists of two ecoregions, Borneo montane rain forests
, which covers about 2/3 of the area, and Borneo lowland rain forest
s.
have been identified in the Park.
The fauna of the park is rich, with 300 species of bird (25 endemic to Borneo), at least 162 fish species and at least 54 mammals. The park is home to endangered Bornean orangutan
and seven other primate
species: Müller's Bornean Gibbon
, White-fronted Surili
, Maroon Leaf Monkey
, Southern Pig-tailed Macaque
, Crab-eating Macaque
, Sunda Loris
and Horsfield's Tarsier
.
tribes, including Dayak Iban
, Dayak Taman, and Dayak Bukat live in the park. There are 12 villages in and around the park, 2 of which are located inside the park (Nanga Bungan and Tanjung Lokang) and 6 are adjacent to the park boundary. They live from hunting, collecting non-timber forest products and subsistence farming based on a pattern of shifting cultivation.
in 1995. The Betung Kerihun Park Management Unit was formally launched by the Minister of Forestry in 1997. Currently, it has 57 full time staff and 20 honorary members. Among these, 24 park rangers are responsible for supervising each of the four field posts in the 800,000ha area.
Significant threats towards the integrity of Betung Kerihun are deforestation
by illegal logging
and wildlife poaching. WWF
data collected in 2002 found that about 31,000 trees were illegally logged in the Park. Reports suggest poaching of the most endangered primate orangutan is reaching alarming levels. About 10-15 orangutans were traded every month from West and Central Kalimantan forests to supply markets in Indonesia's large cities, including Jakarta and Denpasar.
West Kalimantan
West Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is one of four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital city Pontianak is located right on the Equator....
on the island of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It is located inland, along the Malaysian border. The park was established in 1995, and has a total area of 8000 km² (3,088.8 sq mi).
Together with the 2000 km² (772.2 sq mi) Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary
Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary
The Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on the island of Borneo, in Malaysia. It covers 1,870km², and is significant for orangutan conservation. Together with Batang Ai National Park these protected areas contain an estimated 1,400 orangutans...
in Malaysia, it has been proposed to form a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
named the "Transborder Rainforest Heritage of Borneo".
Topography and ecology
Betung Kerihun National Park is hilly and mountainous, with altitudes ranging from 150 m (492.1 ft) to almost 1800 m (5,905.5 ft). The topography is characterized by steep slopes, with more than half of the park area having slopes over 45%. The highest peaks are Mount Kerihun (1790 m (5,872.7 ft)) and Mount LawitMount Lawit
Mount Lawit is a mountain on the island of Borneo. It is 1767 metres tall and sits on the international border between Indonesia and Malaysia. On the Indonesian side of the border, the mountain is within the Betung Kerihun National Park....
(1767 m (5,797.2 ft)). The park is located at the headwaters of the Kapuas River
Kapuas River
The Kapuas River is a river in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, at the geographic center of Maritime Southeast Asia. At in length, it is the longest river of Indonesia and one of the world's longest island rivers...
.
The park largely consists of two ecoregions, Borneo montane rain forests
Borneo montane rain forests
The Borneo montane rain forests are an ecoregion, of Cloud forest, within the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, of the island of Borneo in south-east Asia .-Location and description:...
, which covers about 2/3 of the area, and Borneo lowland rain forest
Borneo lowland rain forest
Borneo lowland rain forest is an ecoregion, within the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, of the large island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It supports approximately 10,000 plant species, 380 bird species and several mammal species...
s.
Flora and fauna
In the lowland forests the dominant emergent tree is dipterocarp species, which are replaced at higher altitude with oaks (Quercus and Lithocarpus ssp.) and chestnut trees (Castanopsis ssp.). At least 97 species of orchid and 49 species of palmArecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
have been identified in the Park.
The fauna of the park is rich, with 300 species of bird (25 endemic to Borneo), at least 162 fish species and at least 54 mammals. The park is home to endangered Bornean orangutan
Bornean Orangutan
The Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the slightly smaller Sumatran orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia....
and seven other primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
species: Müller's Bornean Gibbon
Müller's Bornean Gibbon
Müller's Bornean gibbon , also known as the grey gibbon, is a primate in the Hylobatidae or gibbon family.Unlike other gibbon species, Müller's Bornean gibbon does not show sexual dimorphism in its fur coloration. Its fur is grey or brown colored with a ring of bright fur around its face. On the...
, White-fronted Surili
White-fronted Surili
The white-fronted surili is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and possibly Brunei. Its body is mainly grey-brown, with a distinct white spot on the forehead. Its chin and lower cheeks are greyish. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical...
, Maroon Leaf Monkey
Maroon Leaf Monkey
The maroon langur, maroon leaf monkey, or red leaf monkey is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found on the southeast Asian island of Borneo and the nearby smaller Karimata....
, Southern Pig-tailed Macaque
Southern Pig-tailed Macaque
The southern pig-tailed macaque is a medium-sized Old World monkey found in the southern half of the Malay Peninsula , Borneo, Sumatra and Bangka Island. This omnivorous macaque is mostly found in forest, but will also enter plantations and gardens...
, Crab-eating Macaque
Crab-eating Macaque
The Crab-eating macaque is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. It is also called the "long-tailed macaque", and is referred to as the "cynomolgus monkey" in laboratories.-Etymology:...
, Sunda Loris
Sunda Loris
The Sunda slow loris or greater slow loris is a strepsirrhine primate and a species of slow loris native to Indonesia, western Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore. It measures from head to tail and weighs between...
and Horsfield's Tarsier
Horsfield's Tarsier
Horsfield's tarsier , also known as the western tarsier, is a species of tarsier...
.
Human habitation
Several DayakDayak people
The Dayak or Dyak are the native people of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups, located principally in the interior of Borneo, each with its own dialect, customs, laws, territory and culture, although common distinguishing traits are readily...
tribes, including Dayak Iban
Iban people
The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Ibans are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and...
, Dayak Taman, and Dayak Bukat live in the park. There are 12 villages in and around the park, 2 of which are located inside the park (Nanga Bungan and Tanjung Lokang) and 6 are adjacent to the park boundary. They live from hunting, collecting non-timber forest products and subsistence farming based on a pattern of shifting cultivation.
Conservation and threats
Betung Kerihun National Park was first established as a 600,000 ha nature reserve in 1982 by a Ministry of Agriculture decree. The size was enlarged to 800,000 ha in 1992 and the conservation status was changed to national parkNational park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in 1995. The Betung Kerihun Park Management Unit was formally launched by the Minister of Forestry in 1997. Currently, it has 57 full time staff and 20 honorary members. Among these, 24 park rangers are responsible for supervising each of the four field posts in the 800,000ha area.
Significant threats towards the integrity of Betung Kerihun are deforestation
Deforestation in Borneo
Borneo, the third largest island in the world, divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, was once covered with dense rainforests, but along with its tropical lowland and highland forests, there has been extensive deforestation in the past sixty years. In the 1980s and 1990s the forests of...
by illegal logging
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 protected area; the cutting of protected species; or the...
and wildlife poaching. WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
data collected in 2002 found that about 31,000 trees were illegally logged in the Park. Reports suggest poaching of the most endangered primate orangutan is reaching alarming levels. About 10-15 orangutans were traded every month from West and Central Kalimantan forests to supply markets in Indonesia's large cities, including Jakarta and Denpasar.
See also
- Geography of IndonesiaGeography of IndonesiaIndonesia is an archipelagic island country in Southeast Asia, lying between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is in a strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean. The country's variations in culture have been shaped—although not...