Gunung Palung and surrounding swamps
Location:
c.8°34'S, 114°00'E; near the southeast tip of Java, 60 km southwest of Banyuwangi,
Kabupaten Banyuwangi, East Java.
Area:
1,860 ha.
Altitude:
Sea level to 350m.
Biogeographical Province:
4.22.12.
Wetland type:
04, 05, 07 & 21.
Description of site:
A large area of relatively undisturbed hill and lowland forest around Gunung Palung mountain. The area contains a complete range of lowland to montane habitats, including 7,000 ha of mangrove forest, 20,000 ha of freshwater swamp forest, 30,000 ha of peat swamp forest, 5,000 ha of wet lowland forest on alluvium, 62,000 ha of moist lowland dipterocarp forest, 5,000 ha of wet hill forest and 1,000 ha of montane forest. Because of the superstitions of the local Malay villagers who believe that Gunung Palung is haunted, the hill forests are quite undisturbed. The lowland habitats have suffered some damage from logging and small-scale settlement, but this has had little effect on the fauna. Disturbance has been greatest in the coastal strip, which is now largely planted with coconuts. The beaches are partly muddy, partly sandy and partly rocky.
The double mountain Palung and Panti is isolated from any other mountain area by an extensive flat swampy plain. It is possible that the mountain was an island before the alluvial plain linked it to the mainland. This isolation has resulted in an unusually high degree of endemism in the montane flora and fauna.
Climatic conditions:
Humid tropical climate with an average annual rainfall of about 3,000 mm (180-190 rainy days per year). The site lies in the wettest climatic zone in Kalimantan.
Principal vegetation:
The mangrove forest is heavily dominated by species of Rhizophora and Bruguiera, although its seaward edge is frequently lined with Sonneratia alba and Avicennia spp. The peat swamp forests are dominated by Litsea amora, Parastemon sp, Hopea sangal and Shorea leprosala. Other widespread species include Calophyllum sp and Ganua motleyana. Species diversity in the peat swamp forests is high; over 40 species were recorded in one half hectare plot. The freshwater swamp forests are dominated by Litsea amora, Parastemon sp, Coiophyllum sp, Hopea sangal, Alseodaphne sp, Parastemon urophyllum and Shorea laevifolia. Beach forest formations include Casuarina equisetifolia, Calophyllum inophyllum, Terminalia sp, Morinda sp and Hibiscus tiliaceus.
Land tenure:
State owned (PHPA, Indonesian Government).
Conservation measures taken:
A Nature Monument of 30,000 ha was established in 1937. Upon independence, this was upgraded to Nature Reserve (Cagar Alam). The site was renotified by proclamation in 1981.
Conservation measures proposed:
A proposal to upgrade the Nature Reserve to National Park status has been approved. There is also a proposal to extend the protected area to a total of 100,000 ha.
Land use:
Logging by hand in the swamp forests (mainly for Ramin Gonystylus bancanus), some small-scale agriculture, fishing in the rivers, and the collection of firewood, building poles, mangrove bark, wild honey and resins. There is some commercial forestry in the surrounding areas. The nearest town to the reserve is Monggo Jering, about 10 km to the north. The human population density is low, ranging from 4.2 per sq.km in the Simpang Hilir area to 31,9 per sq.km in the Matan Hilir area.
Possible Changes in Land use:
Large areas to the north of the reserve are scheduled for a transmigration project. This will certainly increase boat traffic on the Simpang River.
Disturbances and threats:
The most damaging human activity has been the logging of Ramin especially near the Simpang and Matan Rivers. Only a small part of the existing reserve has been logged, but there has been extensive logging in the proposed extension to the reserve. Shifting cultivation has also caused some disturbance in the reserve.
Economic and social values:
The site has considerable potential for outdoor recreation, with easy access and excellent possibilities for viewing wildlife. The reserve also serves a valuable function in watershed protection.
Fauna:
No information is available on the fishes of the reserve, apart from the statement that there are fishes in the rivers and swamps, and mention of Schleropagus formosus.
A preliminary inventory of the avifauna recorded a total of 192 species of birds including 17 species of waterbirds. All Bornean bird families are represented. Some of the rarer species include Great Argus Pheasant Argusianus argus, the hornbills Buceros rhinoceros, Rhinoplax vigil, Pitta baudi and Indicator archipelagicus. Waterbirds include Anhinga melanogaster, Butorides striatus, Egreua sacra, Ardea purpurea, A. sumatrana. Leptoptilos javanicus, Haliastur indus, Haliaeetus leucogaster, Amaurornis phoenicurus, Actitis hypoleucos, Sterna bergii, the fish-owl Ketupa ketupu and the kingfishers Alcedo meninting, A. puichella, Pelargopsis capensis. Ceyx rufidorsus, Halcyon pileata and H. chloris. There is a very large roost of the Long-tailed Parakeet Psittacula longicauda on a steep hill near Kuala Melayu. A preliminary list of the mammals of the Nature Reserve includes two Insectivora, four Chiroptera, seven Primata, seven Rodentata, two Carnivora and five Ungulata. Many more species (particularly nocturnal species) are known to occur in the area and presumably occur in the reserve. The reserve supports a very high density of Proboscis Monkeys Nasalis larvatus, which live in large troops of up to 60 individuals and provide one of the main wildlife spectacles. The density of Orang-utans Pongo pygmaeus is the highest known for any site, perhaps because of the abundance of fruiting trees favoured by this species, e.g. Durio sp, Garcinia spp, Ficus spp, Nephelium sp, Artocarpus sp, Dialium sp, Euphoria malayoia, Draconsomelum mangiferum and Dillenia sp. Other mammals include Pteropus vampirus, Hylobates agilis, Macaca fascicularis, Presbytis rubicunda, P. melalophos. Nycticebus coucaa, Helarctos malayanus, Viverra langalunga, Tragulus napu, T. javanicus, Muntiacus muntjak~ Cervus unicolor and Sus barbatus. The rare Asian Two-horned Rhinoceros Dicerorhuas sumatrensis is known to have occurred in the past, but is now believed to be extinct in the area. The last definite record was an individual shot in 1939. Reptiles include the rare False Gharial Tomistoma schlegelii, the monitor lizard Varanus borneensis (reported to be numerous) and the python Python reticulatus.
Special floral values:
The forests support a great diversity of orchid species. Research and facilities: Various preliminary surveys of the fauna and flora have been carried out, and several studies have been conducted on the primates.
Research and facilities:
Various preliminary surveys of the fauna and flora have been carried out, and several studies have been conducted on the primates.
References:
FAO (l982c); IUCN (in prep); Karpowicz (1985); MacKinnon & Artha (l98la) Mahitala Unpar (1983).
Criteria for Inclusion:
1b, 2a, 2b, 3b.
Source:
Marcel J. Silvius and Edi Djuharsa.