Way Kambas National Park
Encyclopedia
Way Kambas National Park is a national park covering 1,300 square kilometres in Lampung
province, southern Sumatra
, Indonesia
.
It consists of swamp forest and lowland rain forest, mostly of secondary growth as result of extensive logging
in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite decreasing populations, the park still has a few critically endangered Sumatran Tiger
s, Sumatran Elephant
s and Sumatran Rhinoceros
es. It also provides excellent birdwatching, with the rare White-winged Wood Duck
among the over 400 species present in the park.
Threats to the park are posed by poaching and habitat loss due to illegal logging. Conservation efforts include patrolling and the establishment of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary and the Elephant Conservation Centre.
, Sonneratia
species, Nypa fruticans
, Melaleuca leucadendra
, Syzygium polyanthum
, Pandanus
species, Schima wallichii
, Shorea
species, Dipterocarpus gracilis
, and Gonystylus bancanus
. 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
in the area, down from around 40 in the 1990s. The number of Sumatran Elephant
s in the park was estimated to 180 in 2005. The population of Sumatran tiger
s has declined from 36-40 in 2000 to less than 30. Other mammals in the park are the Malayan tapir
, Dhole
(Cuon alpinus sumatrensis) and Siamang
(Hylobates syndactylus syndactylus).
About half of the bird species are inhabiting the coastal swamps, including mangrove
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
, with a population between 24-38 birds left, the largest in Sumatra. Among the other 405 species of bird recorded in the park, are the Storm's Stork
, Woolly-necked Stork
, Lesser Adjutant
, Crested Fireback
, Great Argus
and Oriental Darter
.
Among the reptiles, the endangered False gharial
crocodile is found in the coastal swamps.
in 1937, but only in 1989 has been 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
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 was occupied by squatters for decades has been evicted.
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 wells have been closed.
Poaching has been a significant threat, often involving soldiers and in a 2002 case even high-ranked military. In recent years poaching is 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.
Lampung
Lampung is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra and borders the provinces of Bengkulu and South Sumatra. Lampung is the original home of the Lampung people, who speak a distinct language from other people in Sumatra and have their own alphabet. Its...
province, southern Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, 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 consists of swamp forest and lowland rain forest, mostly of secondary growth as result of extensive logging
Deforestation in Indonesia
Deforestation in Indonesia has been a massive environmental impact on the country, home to some of the most biologically diverse forests in the world, ranking third behind Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As late as 1900, Indonesia was still a densely forested country with the total...
in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite decreasing populations, the park still has a few critically endangered Sumatran Tiger
Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50...
s, Sumatran Elephant
Sumatran Elephant
The Sumatran Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian Elephant, and native to Sumatra island of Indonesia. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...
s and Sumatran Rhinoceros
Sumatran Rhinoceros
The Sumatran Rhinoceros is a member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses. It is the only extant species of the genus Dicerorhinus. It is the smallest rhinoceros, although is still a large mammal. This rhino stands high at the shoulder, with a head-and-body length of ...
es. It also provides excellent birdwatching, with the rare White-winged Wood Duck
White-winged Wood Duck
The White-winged Duck or White-winged Wood Duck is a large species of duck, formerly placed in the genus Cairina and allied with the dabbling ducks...
among the over 400 species present in the park.
Threats to the park are posed by poaching and habitat loss due to illegal logging. Conservation efforts include patrolling and the establishment of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary and the Elephant Conservation Centre.
Flora and fauna
Plant species include Avicennia marinaAvicennia marina
Avicennia marina, commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae...
, Sonneratia
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 monotypic subfamilies of the family Lythraceae...
species, Nypa fruticans
Nypa fruticans
Nypa fruticans, known as the attap palm , nipa palm , and mangrove palm or buah atap , buah nipah , dừa nước , Ging Pol in Sinhala in Sri Lanka and gol pata , dani . It is the only palm considered a mangrove in the Mangroves Biome...
, Melaleuca leucadendra
Melaleuca leucadendra
Melaleuca leucadendra is a tree belonging to the Melaleuca genus. The common name, Cajuput Tree, is derived from the Malay word kayu putih - meaning "white wood".-Description:...
, Syzygium polyanthum
Syzygium
Syzygium is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1100 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific...
, Pandanus
Pandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
species, Schima wallichii
Schima
[[Schima is a [[genus]] of evergreen trees belonging to the tea family, [[Theaceae]].The genus inhabits warm temperate to subtropical climates across southern and southeastern Asia, from the eastern [[Himalaya]] of [[Nepal]] and eastern [[India]] across [[Indochina]], southern [[China]],...
, Shorea
Shorea
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. They are native to southeast Asia, from Northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia and the...
species, Dipterocarpus gracilis
Dipterocarpus gracilis
Dipterocarpus gracilis is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The species is found in Kalimantan, Bangladesh, India , Indonesia , Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines...
, and Gonystylus bancanus
Gonystylus bancanus
Gonystylus bancanus is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, where it is locally known as Ramin. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Sources:...
. The sandy shores of the park are dominated by Casuarina equisetifolia
Casuarina equisetifolia
Casuarina equisetifolia is a she-oak species of the genus Casuarina. The native range extends from Burma and Vietnam throughout Malesia east to French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu, and south to Australia...
.
The park has 50 species of mammal many of them critically endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
. There are about 20 Sumatran Rhinoceros
Sumatran Rhinoceros
The Sumatran Rhinoceros is a member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses. It is the only extant species of the genus Dicerorhinus. It is the smallest rhinoceros, although is still a large mammal. This rhino stands high at the shoulder, with a head-and-body length of ...
in the area, down from around 40 in the 1990s. The number of Sumatran Elephant
Sumatran Elephant
The Sumatran Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian Elephant, and native to Sumatra island of Indonesia. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...
s in the park was estimated to 180 in 2005. The population of Sumatran tiger
Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50...
s has declined from 36-40 in 2000 to less than 30. Other mammals in the park are the Malayan tapir
Malayan Tapir
The Malayan Tapir , also called the Asian Tapir, is the largest of the four species of tapir and the only one native to Asia. The scientific name refers to the East Indies, the species' natural habitat...
, 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...
(Cuon alpinus sumatrensis) and Siamang
Siamang
The siamang is a tailless, arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Malaysia, Thailand, and Sumatra. The largest of the lesser apes, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching 1 m in height, and weighing up to 14 kg...
(Hylobates syndactylus syndactylus).
About half of the bird species are inhabiting the coastal swamps, including mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
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
White-winged Wood Duck
The White-winged Duck or White-winged Wood Duck is a large species of duck, formerly placed in the genus Cairina and allied with the dabbling ducks...
, with a population between 24-38 birds left, the largest in Sumatra. Among the other 405 species of bird recorded in the park, are the Storm's Stork
Storm's Stork
The Storm's Stork, Ciconia stormi is a large, approximately long, stork with black and white plumages, red bill, orange bare facial skin, red legs and yellow orbital skin. Both sexes are similar. The young has duller plumage and bare skin....
, Woolly-necked Stork
Woolly-necked Stork
The Woolly-necked Stork or White necked stork , Ciconia episcopus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It can also be known as the Espiscopos....
, Lesser Adjutant
Lesser Adjutant
The Lesser Adjutant, Leptoptilos javanicus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is resident breeder in southern Asia from India east to southern China and Java....
, Crested Fireback
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...
, Great Argus
Great Argus
The Great Argus, Argusianus argus is a brown-plumaged pheasant with a small blue head and neck, rufous red upper breast, black hair-like feathers on crown and nape, and red legs. The male is among the largest of all pheasants. He measures in total length, including a tail of , and weighs . It has...
and Oriental Darter
Oriental Darter
The Oriental Darter or Indian Darter , sometimes called Snakebird, is a water bird of tropical South Asia and Southeast Asia.-Taxonomy:...
.
Among the reptiles, the endangered False gharial
False gharial
The false gharial , also known as the Malayan gharial, false gavial, or Tomistoma is a freshwater crocodile of the Crocodylidae family with a very thin and elongated snout...
crocodile is found in the coastal swamps.
Threats and conservation
Way Kambas has been established as game reserve by the Dutch administrationDutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
in 1937, but only in 1989 has been 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
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...
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 was occupied by squatters for decades has been evicted.
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 wells have been closed.
Poaching has been a significant threat, often involving soldiers and in a 2002 case even high-ranked military. In recent years poaching is 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 250 acres (101.2 ha) 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. Currently five Sumatran Rhinos live at the Sanctuary, most have been translocated 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.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) has been established in the 1980s. The elephants in the centre have been domesticated and used for heavy work, ecotourism, patrol and breeding.External links
- Pictures of SRS, Way Kambas on the RRC