Watumohae
Location:
4°22'-4°34'S, 121°44'-122°10'E; 80 km southwest of Kendari, Kabupatens Kendari and Buton, Southeast Sulawesi.
Area:
Hunting Park of 50,000 ha including 3,200 ha of mangrove forest.
Altitude:
Sea level to 400m.
Biogeographical Province:
4.24.12.
Wetland type:
05, 07, 11 & 18.
Description of site:
An area of coastal plains and hills with many rivers, 3,200 ha of mangrove forest, 25,300 ha of grassland and savanna, and about 21,000 ha of tropical rain forest. The savanna is a secondary formation, formed as a result of shifting cultivation. Parts of the grassland and savanna are seasonally flooded.
Climatic conditions:
Humid tropical climate with an average annual rainfall of 1,773 mm. The months of August, September, October, November and December are relatively dry; the rest of the year is wet.
Principal vegetation:
Mangrove forest with Brugumera gymnorhiza, Sonneratia alba, S. acida, Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora stylosa, R. apiculata and Avicennia marina. Dominant plants elsewhere include Imperata cylindrica, Andropogon sp. Saccharum spontaneum, Cyperus sp, Arenga pmnnata, Nauclea orientalis, Metrosidoros pet iolata, Garcinia celebica, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Intsia bijuga, Asporosa sp and Vitex sp.
Land tenure:
State owned (PHPA).
Conservation measures taken:
The Hunting Park (Taman Buru) of 50,000 ha was established in 1976.
Conservation measures proposed:
It has been proposed that hunting should be prohibited and the status of the park upgraded to that of a Wildlife Reserve (Suaka Margasatwa). The protected area could eventually be linked with the nearby Rawa Opa Reserve.
Land use:
Hunting; agriculture, hunting and tourism in surrounding areas.
Disturbances and threats:
Illegal hunting.
Economic and social values:
No information.
Fauna:
Waterbirds known to occur in the park include Phalacrocorax sp, Egretta sp, Mycteria cinerea, Plegadis falcinellus, Dendrocygna guttata, Anas sp, Pandion haliaetus, Haliaslur indus, Sterna albifrons and Halcyon cyanoventris. The Maleo Bird Macrocephalon maleo is present. Mammals include Cervus timorensms, Sus scrofa, Macaca nigra, Anoa depresicornis. Manis javanica, Pteropus sp and Bos bubulus. Reptiles include the Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus and Varanus salvator.
Special floral values:
No information.
Research and facilities:
Preliminary faunal and floral surveys have been carried out.
References:
P.P.A. (1l976d & 1978b); Djatmikas (1975); MacKinnon & Artha (1982d).
Criteria for Inclusion:
1b, 2a, 3b.
Source:
Marcel J. Silvius, Edi Djuharsa and Agustinus W. Taufik.