Ujung Kulon National Park (Indonesian: Taman Nasional Ujung Kulon) is a national park located at the westernmost part of Java. It is in the Sumur District of Pandeglang Regency, which is part of Banten province in Indonesia. The park once included the volcanic islands of Krakatoa in Lampung province, but current maps show the Krakatoa islands as a separate protected area called the Pulau Anak Krakatau Marine Nature Reserve.

The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it contains the largest remaining area of lowland rainforests in Java. It is also home to the Javan rhino, which is one of the most endangered rhino species. The park was designated as a UNESCO site before it became a national park.

The park includes the Ujung Kulon peninsula, as well as nearby islands and the Gunung Honje mountain range.

The name "Ujung Kulon" means "Western End" or "Point West" in the Banten Sundanese language.

Geography

Ujung Kulon National Park spans an area of 1,056.95 square kilometers (408.09 square miles), with 443.37 square kilometers (171.19 square miles) covered by ocean. Most of the park's land area is located on the mainland, specifically on the Ujung Kulon Peninsula. The highest point in the peninsula is Mt. Payung, which reaches an elevation of 480 meters (1,570 feet) in the southwest. To the east of the park lies the Honje mountain range, which includes several smaller mountains. The tallest peak in this range is Mt. Honje, standing at 620 meters (2,030 feet).

History

In 1846, a Dutch-German botanist named Franz W. Junghuhn discovered the Ujung Kulon area during an expedition. This discovery sparked interest among scientists, who began studying the peninsula’s rich variety of plants and animals. However, few written records about Ujung Kulon exist before the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa.

After the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa, a tsunami 15 meters high hit the area, destroying many settlements. The eruption also damaged much of the local plant and animal life, covering the region with an average layer of volcanic ash 30 cm (12 in) thick. Despite this destruction, the area recovered quickly, becoming a home for many species of plants and animals, including most of Java’s lowland forests.

Conservation efforts for the area began in the early 1900s during the Dutch East Indies colonial period. In 1921, Pulau Panaitan was first set aside as a nature reserve (Suaka Alam). Later, in 1937, Pulau Panaitan was combined with Pulau Peucang to form a wildlife sanctuary (Suaka Margasatwa). After Indonesia gained independence, the area was restored as a nature reserve, including the peninsula. In 1967, the southern part of Gunung Honje Protection Forest was added to the reserve, and the northern part was added in 1979. In 1992, the area was officially declared a national park. Border changes related to Mount Honje were completed in 2004.

In 1991, the park was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it contains the largest remaining lowland rainforest in Java. By 2005, the park was also designated as an ASEAN Heritage Park.

Some villages that survived the eruption have been given cultural recognition as Kampung Wisata, which means "Recreational Village." Future plans include turning Cimenteng, a local hamlet, into an ecovillage. Additionally, Ujungjaya, the westernmost village, is now a tourist destination that supports the national park.

Wildlife

Ujung Kulon National Park is one of three national parks in Java that contain a lowland rainforest ecosystem, along with Baluran and Alas Purwo National Parks. These parks share similar ecosystems, although Ujung Kulon is much wetter than Baluran and Alas Purwo due to its climate type, which is different from the climate found in East Java.

So far, 175 species have been observed in the park, with 57 of them being protected. These include mangroves such as Sonneratia alba, Excoecaria agallocha, Rhizophora apiculata, and Aegiceras corniculatum. Coastal plants like Nypa fruticans, Calophyllum inophyllum, Terminalia catappa, and Hibiscus tiliaceus are also present. Other plants include figs such as Ficus benjamina, Ficus deltoidea, Ficus racemosa, and Ficus septica, as well as lowland vegetation like Oroxylum indicum, Melastoma malabathricum, Sterculia foetida, and Durio zibethinus. Three rare protected plant species live in the park: Heritiera percoriacea, Vatica bantamensis, and Intsia bijuga. Rafflesia patma is also a notable plant species.

One plant species, the Arenga palm (Arenga obtusifolia), is currently a problem for rhino conservation efforts. This palm grows quickly and takes up a lot of space, blocking sunlight from reaching the plants that rhinos eat. Local officials say they are working to remove these palms.

Ujung Kulon National Park is the last known home for the critically endangered Javan rhinoceros after the last individual in Vietnam’s Cát Tiên National Park died. In 2010, only 10 or fewer Javan rhinos remained in Vietnam. In the 1980s, Ujung Kulon had an estimated 40–60 rhinos. Between 2001 and 2010, 14 rhino births were recorded using cameras and video traps. From February to October 2011, 35 rhinos were identified, including 22 males and 13 females. Of these, 7 were old, 18 were adults, 5 were young, and 5 were infants. By 2013, 8 calves had been identified, with 3 females and 50 teenagers and adults, of which 20 were female. These numbers were confirmed using 120 video cameras that worked at night with motion sensors. Scientists can identify individual rhinos because each has unique skin wrinkles around the eyes. Current estimates suggest there are about 82 rhinos in the park.

By 2013, areas where rhinos eat Eupatorium odoratum plants had decreased from 10 locations covering 158 hectares (390 acres) to five locations covering 20 hectares (49 acres). This has increased competition for food between rhinos and the local banteng population.

About 35 mammal species that are found only in Java live in the park. These include the banteng, silvery gibbon, Javan lutung, crab-eating macaque, Javan leopard, dhole, Java mouse-deer, Javan rusa, Sunda leopard cat, and smooth-coated otter. The park is also home to 197 bird species.

Javan tigers lived in the park until the mid-1960s.