Five illegal loggers nabbed in Ujung Kulon forest

Antara 11 Jan 10;

Pandeglang (ANTARA News) - Five illegal loggers were nabbed in the Ujung Kulon`s Gunung Honje forest in Pandeglang district, Banten Province, on Sunday night by a joint state police, Ujung Kulon National Park forest rangers and civil security team.

The national park management`s spokesman Agus Priambudi, said here on Monday the five illegal loggers identified by their initials as Akm, Asm, Ddn, Ant, and Arm were nabbed while felling trees in the Gunung Honje forest at 11 pm on Sunday night.

He said the joint security team also seized two truckloads of logs which had been cut by the illegal loggers.

"The five nabbed illegal loggers are still being investigated by Ujung Kulon National Park investigators and the police," Agus Priambudi said, adding the Gunung Honje forest was part of the park which was being preserved as as the habitat of the Java Rhinoceros and some of the world`s lungs.

Ujung Kulon which is rich in wildlife and forests, noted for its charm and diversity, is the home of the highly endangered Java Rhinoceros and bestowed with the status of World Heritage (natural) site.

It posses an exceptional profile of Indonesia`s wilderness from forested mountain ranges to coral seas.

What makes it even more remarkable is that the park remains a pristine haven of nature on Java, one of the most densely populated islands on earth.

The 120,551-hectare park is divided into 78,214 ha of land and 44,337 ha of surrounding reefs and sea.

It can roughly be separated into three areas, the triangular shaped Ujung Kulon Peninsula, the Gunung Honje Range to the east of the Peninsula`s Isthmus and the Island of Panaitan to the north west.

Ujung Kulon`s tropical maritime climate, somewhat cooler than inland areas of Java, produces an annual rainfall of approximately 3250 mm.

The park holds well over 700 species of plant life of which at least 57 of them are classified as rare in Java Island and perhaps the world.

Ujung Kulon National Park has a vast array wildlife, quite a member of which are endangered or rare. Some of animals are so unafraid that freely wander in and around the tourist lodges, others are sighted almost every days, many are heard rather than seen and same core rarely seen. (*)