Mount Gede Pangrango National Park is a national park in West Java

West Java

West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...

, 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...

. The park is centred on two volcanoes—Mount Gede

Mount Gede

Mount Gede or Gunung Gede is a stratovolcano in West Java, Indonesia. The volcano contains two peaks with Mount Gede as one peak and Mount Pangrango for the other one. Three major cities, Cianjur, Sukabumi and Bogor, are located in the volcano complex at the east, south and northwest, respectively...

 and Mount Pangrango— and is 150 km² in area.

It evolved from already existing conservation areas, such as Cibodas Nature Reserve, Cimungkat Nature Reseve, Situgunung Recreational Park and Mount Gede Pangrango Nature Reserve, and has been the site of important biological and conservation research over the last century. In 1977 UNESCO declared it part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves

World Network of Biosphere Reserves

The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves covers internationally-designated protected areas, known as biosphere reserves, that are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between man and nature The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves covers internationally-designated protected...

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Topography and ecology

Mount Gede (2,958 m) and Pangrango (3,019 m) are twin volcanoes. The two summits are connected by a high saddle known as Kandang Badak (2,400 m). The mountain slopes are very steep and are cut into rapidly flowing stream, which carve deep valleys and long ridges.

Lower and upper montane

Montane

In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...

 and subalpine forests are within the park and have been well studied. To the north of Mount Gede is a field of Javanese Edelweiss (Anaphalis javanica

Anaphalis javanica

Anaphalis javanica or Javanese Edelweiss is a flowering plant species endemic to Indonesia. They are found mostly in mountainous regions of Java, southern Sumatra, southern Sulawesi and Lombok. Although a mature plant can reach eight metres in height, most specimens are less than a metre tall. The...

). The park contains a large number of species known to occur only within its boundaries, however, this may be a result of the disproportionate amount of research over many years.

Flora and fauna

Gunung Gede-Pangrango is inhabited by 251 of the 450 bird species found in Java. Among these are endangered species like the Javan Hawk-eagle

Javan Hawk-eagle

The Javan Hawk-Eagle, Nisaetus bartelsi is a medium-sized, approximately 61 cm long, dark brown raptor in the family Accipitridae. Its head and neck are rufous and it is heavily barred black below. It has a long black crest with a white tip. The sexes are similar...

 and the Javan Scops Owl

Javan Scops Owl

The Javan Scops Owl is a rare owl native to Indonesia. There are no sub-species.-References:* * http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Otus&species=angelinae...

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Among the endangered mammal species in the Park there are several primates such as the Silvery Gibbon

Silvery Gibbon

The silvery gibbon is a primate in the Hylobatidae or gibbon family. Its coat is bluish-grey in colour, with a dark grey or black cap. Like all gibbons, Silvery Gibbons lack external tails, have dorsally-placed scapula and reduced flexibility in the lumbar region. They have long, curved fingers...

, Javan Surili

Javan Surili

The Javan surili is an endangered species of Old World monkey endemic to the western half of Java, Indonesia, a biodiversity hotspot...

 and Javan Lutung

Javan Lutung

The Javan lutung, Trachypithecus auratus also known as the ebony lutung and Javan langur, is an Old World monkey from the Colobinae subfamily. It is most commonly glossy black with a brownish tinge to its legs, sides, and "sideburns". It is found on and endemic to the island of Java, as well as on...

. Other mammals include Leopard

Leopard

The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...

, Leopard Cat

Leopard Cat

The leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...

, Indian Muntjac

Indian Muntjac

The Common Muntjac , also called the Red Muntjac, Indian Muntjac or Barking deer is the most numerous muntjac deer species. It has soft, short, brownish or greyish hair, sometimes with creamy markings. This species is omnivorous, feeding on fruits, shoots, seeds, birds' eggs as well as small...

, Java Mouse-deer

Java Mouse-deer

The Java Mouse-deer is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Tragulidae family. At maturity it is about the size of a rabbit, making it one of the smallest ungulates. It is found in forests in Java and perhaps Bali. It formerly included the more widespread T. kanchil and the poorly known T....

, Dhole

Dhole

The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...

, Malayan Porcupine

Malayan Porcupine

The Malayan Porcupine or Himalayan Porcupine is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. Three subspecies are extant in South and South-east Asia.-Geographical distribution:...

, Sunda Stink Badger, and Yellow-throated Marten.

Tourism

Visitors usually enter the park by one of the four gates of the park: the Cibodas, Gunung Putri, and Selabintana gates, all give access to the peaks; the Situ Gunung gate gives entrance to a lake area set aside mainly for family-style recreation. Cibodas gate is the most popular entrance gate and is the site of the park's headquarters. From Jakarta, the area is two hours drive, usually via Cibodas Botanical Gardens

Kebun Raya Cibodas

Kebun Raya Cibodas is a 125-hectares botanical garden, located approximately 1,300-1,425 meters up on the slopes of Mount Gede, 23 kilometers to the northwest of Cianjur in the Cibodas subdistrict of West Java, Indonesia or around 100 kilometers from Jakarta...

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External links

• Ministry of Forestry: Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park