Ujung Kulon National Park is located
in Indonesia's Banten province, on the westernmost tip of the island of Java.
In the Sunda Strait, it contains the Krakatoa volcanic island group in Lampung
province, as well as other islands such as Panaitan and smaller outlying islets
such as Handeuleum and Peucang. Ujung Kulon literally translates to
"Western End" or "Point West."
The park covers an area of 1,206 km2,
the majority of which is located on a peninsula that juts out into the Indian
Ocean. The adjacent Krakatau volcano erupted in 1883, causing a tsunami (great
wave) that wiped out the villages and crops of the western peninsula's coastal
districts, as well as blanketing the entire area in 30 cm (12 in) of ash. As a
result, the peninsula was completely abandoned by humans, leaving it to become
a refuge for much of Java's flora and fauna, as well as the island's remaining
lowland forest.
It was designated a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1991 for possessing the greatest remaining lowland rainforest
in Java. Many towns in the subsequent park region were wiped out by the
Krakatoa eruption and tsunami in 1883, and they were never repopulated.
Since the early twentieth century,
portions of today's national park and World Heritage site have been preserved.
In 1921, the Nature Reserve of Krakatoa was established, followed by the Nature
Reserves of Pulau Panaitan and Pulau Peucang in 1937, the Ujung Kulon Nature
Reserve in 1958, the Gunung Honje Nature Reserve in 1967, and the Ujung Kulon
National Park in 1992. The park was named an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2005.
After poachers killed the last
remaining rhino in Vietnam's Cát Tiên National Park, where a small population
of 10 or less remained in 2010, Ujung Kulon became the last known refuge for
the highly endangered Javan rhinoceros. In the 1980s, the population of Ujung
Kulon was believed to be between 40 and 60 people. Using camera and video
traps, 14 rhino newborns were identified between 2001 and 2010. 35 rhinoceros
have been identified based on recordings collected between February and October
2011, with 22 males and 13 females. There were 7 elderly rhinos, 18 adults, 5
juvenile rhinos, and 5 neonatal rhinos among the group. In 2013, there were 8
calves, three of whom were female, and 50 teenage and adult females, 20 of whom
were female, detected using 120 video cameras that operated at night with
movement sensors, an increase from previous years. It was accurate data since
each rhino has a distinct morphology, similar to a fingerprint, with creases
around the eyes.
By 2013, Eupatorium odoratum
vegetation feeding areas had been reduced from ten places totaling 158 hectares
(390 acres) to five locations totaling 20 hectares (49 acres). As a result,
competition for feeding grounds grew between the solitary rhinoceros and the
banteng.
In addition, the park preserves 57
rare plant species. Banteng, silvery gibbon, Javan lutung, crab-eating macaque,
Javan leopard, Sumatran dhole, Java mouse-deer, Javan rusa, and smooth-coated
otter are among the 35 mammal species. There are also 72 reptile and amphibian
species, as well as 240 bird species.
Crocodiles' status in the park is
mainly unknown; sightings are infrequent and only happen once in a while. There
have been rumors of a bogus gharial in the park, but these have yet to be
verified. Furthermore, the saltwater crocodile was once common along Java's
coastal river systems, but it is now extinct in these areas. Small, isolated
saltwater crocodile populations have been reported in Ujung Kulon.
Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ujung_Kulon_National_Park
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/608/
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