A number of habitats of
endangered species can still be found in indonesia thanks partly to the large
tropical forests the country
possesses, which local and international eco-conscious travelers can enjoy.
Currently, Indonesia has 110 million hectares
of protected tropical forests of the second largest area in the world after
Brazil.
Of the 110 million ha, 18.7 million are
conservation areas.
“These include the mount Halimun Salak National
Park (TNGHS) in Bogor, West Java,” said David Makes, head of the Ecotourism
Development Acceleration Team (TPPE).
David said the TNGHS, managed by the Balai
Taman nasional Gunung Halimun Salak (BTNGHS) under the supervision of
Environment and Forestry Ministry, is home to habitats for several endangered
species, such as the Java hawk-eagle, Javan Owa and Kukang,” he said.
“Developing the TNGHS into a nature-based
ecotourism destination is an important step to enrich ecotourism products on
offer in Indonesia, which at the end of the day can boost domestic and foreign
tourist arrivals,” he said.
The TNGHS has incredible ecotourism potential,
providing a rare opportunity for visitors or travelers to savor the soothing
forest ambiance, with green trees, cool and clean air, not far from the hustle
bustle of Jakarta.
It’s a three-to five-hour drive to reach the
Mount Halimun National Park from the capital. Compared to other national parks,
the TNGHS is relatively easily accessible by four-wheeled vehicles, said Head
of the BTNGHS.
According to Awen, the park, which covers an
area of 87,000 ha, was not recognized until 2003 when the areas that were
developed into an ecotourism destination were expanded to Mount Salak, Bogor
regency, West Java.
Initially, in 1997 when the TNGHS opened its
door to the public as an ecotourism destination, tourism activities were
centralized in the Cikaniki area and Malasari village, he said.
With the expanded tourism areas, the TNGHS
offers more tourist destination, some of which were managed directly by the
park and some others by engaging local communities, according to Awen.
Things to do, which are somewhat adventurous in
nature, include camping or glamping, trekking, or experiencing the authentic
kampong life and culture in the area.
Gunung Bunder is an ideal site for camping or
glamping.
“There are number of waterfalls, locally known
as curug, spread across the area,” he
said.
In Curug Nangka, visitors can be treated to the
sight of clear water flowing along the river while savoring the cool, clean and
fresh air.
For those curious about endangered species in
the TNGHS, there is the Javan Hawk-Eagle Sanctuary Center, where you can spot
javan eagles.
In cikanki, there is a canopy bridge,
popularity known as a canopy trail or a hanging bridge, which is also another
attraction, Awen said.
The 125-m-long and 25-m-high canopy is located
about 200m from Cikanki Research Station. On the canopy, visitors can be
treated to awesome sights of the forest from above.
Head of Tourism of ministry regional promotion,
said that more attractions needed to be developed in TNGHS to lure visitors,
One example he cited was holding Hindu-related ceremonies, given that there are
many pura (Hindu’s temples) in the
area around the foot of Mount Salak.
According to Awen, a national park can be
defined as nature conservation area that has its original ecosystem, managed by
a zoning system and can be utilized fort the interest of education,
sciencee, supporting culture, culture, recreation adn ecotourism”.
Three principle are used to
manage the TNGHS, namely
protecting the intactness of the area, preserving the ecosystem of the flora
and fauna and utilizing natural resources in a sustainable manner in parallel
with the government’s policy for national parks, he said.
Efforts are now under way to drive local
communities to be more actively involved in developing and operating the TNGHS
areas in a sustainable manner under a partnership scheme.
Apart from the importance of the strengthened legality
of the TNGHS to allow for professional management of the park, efforts should
also be made to continue to promote biodiversity for research and science
development, carbon absorption potential in relation with global climate change
and eco and cultural tourism potentials at an international level, according to
Awen.
“We’ll continue to develop ecotourism
activities and use the most recent means to promote the TNGHS without ignoring
the required attention to conservation aspects of the TNGHS as a national park
areas,” he said.
Wawan emphasized the importance of good
coordination among the relevant stakeholders, such as the central government,
the local administration, academics, local communities and NGOs to develop
ecotourism in TNGHS.
“Good coordination will create joint
commitment, which will help to achieve the goal,” he said.
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