Rawa Danau
Location:
6°11'S, 105°59'E; 20 km WSW of Serang, West Java.
Area:
2,500 ha.
Altitude:
c.90m.
Biogeographical Province:
4.22.12.
Wetland type:
12, 14 & 21.
Description of site:
A freshwater lake, about 10 km long, and surrounding freshwater swamp forests; one of the few such areas in Java which has not been converted into wet rice cultivation. Fifteen small rivers drain into the lake from the surrounding hills (up to 200m in altitude). There is only one outlet, the Cidana River, which leaves the lake via a 12m waterfall at Curuk Betung, and flows into the Cimanuk. The lake has a maximum depth of about 5m.
Climatic conditions:
Humid tropical climate with a dry season between April and October. Temperatures range from 26-33°C.
Principal vegetation:
Freshwater swamp forests with a variety of unusual species such as Aistonia spatulata and Ficus rezusa. Eichhornia crassipes is common in the lake.
Land tenure:
State owned (PHPA).
Conservation measures taken:
The wetland has been protected as a Nature Reserve (Cagar Alam) since 1921.
Land use:
Agriculture and housing in surrounding areas.
Disturbances and threats:
Agricultural encroachment. Various development projects, such as the construction of hydro-electric dams, the enlarging of the lake's outlet for rice irrigation and the piping of water to the steel mills at Cilegon, are likely to have an impact on the wetland in the future.
Economic and social values:
The lake constitutes an important water supply for the local steel industry.
Fauna:
An important area for a variety of waterfowl including Phalacrocorax spp, Anhinsj melanogaster, Ixobrychus sinensis, I. cinnamomeus, Nycticorax nycticorax, Bubulcus ibis, Egretta spp, Ardea purpurea, A. cinerea, Gallinula chioropus and Porphyrio porphyrio. Mammals include the leaf monkeys Presbytis aygula and P. cristatus, and reptiles, the monitor lizard Varanus salvator.
Special floral values:
The freshwater swamp forest, particularly that found in the southeastern portion of the Nature Reserve, is of great botanical interest in that it includes several tree species, such as Aistonia spatulata and Ficus retusa, which are rare elsewhere in Java. Other notable species include Alocasia bantamnensis and a subspecies of Coix Iachryma-jobi.
References:
(1932); Hoogerwerf (1935); IUCN (in prep); Milton (1984).
Criteria for Inclusion:
1b, 2b, 3b.
Source:
Marcel J. Silvius.