Way Kambas National Park

Way Kambas National Park

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 Tigers, Sumatran Elephants and Sumatran Rhinoceroses. 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.
Plant species include Avicennia marina, 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 Elephants in the park was estimated to 180 in 2005. The population of Sumatran tigers has declined from 36-40 in 2000 to less than 30. Other mammals in the park are the Malayan tapir, Dhole and Siamang (Hylobates syndactylus syndactylus).
About half of the bird species are inhabiting the coastal swamps, including mangroves, 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 crocodile is found in the coastal

endangered False gharial swamps.

Way Kambas has been established as game reserve by the Dutch administration 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.
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.
The ECC will be provided with an Elephant Hospital which will become the 1st of its kind in Indonesia and the largest in Asia. The elephant hospital will be built on a 5-hectare area with a Rp10 billion investment and expected to initial operations in 2014.

Related Sites for Way Kambas National Park

• Way Kambas National Park - Sumatran Tiger Trust read Way Kambas National Park
• Way Kambas National Park | News Of Tourism read Way Kambas National Park
• Way Kambas National Park - Way Kambas … read Way Kambas National Park
• National Parks in Indonesia: Way Kambas read Way Kambas National Park