Eny Wulandari, The Jakarta Post 19 Feb 10;
It took an hour for Mamat Sukandar and his nine neighbors to cycle from their homes in Warakas, North Jakarta, to Muara Angke natural conservation park, North Jakarta.
But their efforts paid off, he said, with the green sight of the 25-hectare stretch of forests and mangroves at the northern coast of the city.
“The place is beautiful and a rarity in Jakarta,” Mamat said last Sunday.
They were eager to see the place after hearing about the park at their subdistrict office and in the media.
The park is one of 12 tourism destinations in the municipality.
North Jakarta is an area dependent on industrial and trade activities with a series of small and large ports along its coast.
Poor waste management in the city also contributes to water pollution at Jakarta Bay, which is full of domestic and industrial waste.
The municipality administration, however, is attempting to promote tourism by focusing its campaign on the 12 sites, which include the park, Sunda Kelapa port and the Maritime Museum.
Mamat said he and his neighbors felt the park helped them learn more about the types of plants that they could use to promote greenery in their neighborhood.
“We would like to know if there are plants that we can find here that can be planted in our neighborhood too,” he said.
Mamat, however, complained that they could not spend enough time in the park as they did not have the proper permits.
“We were limited to a small area inside the park because we did not have a permit from the Natural Resources Conservation Center [BKSDA],” he said.
Such procedures, he said, were a problem because one had to go to the BKSDA office in Salemba, Central Jakarta before entering the park.
“It would be better if the procedure was done at the park,” he said.
Dedy Suhendi, another visitor, said he expected more plants and animals at the park.
“We wanted to see animals other than birds and monkeys here. Also, the park should add more forest
rangers,” he said.
Currently, the park has only two forest rangers, a guard and an environmental counselor, to take care the area.
Kapuk Muara subdistrict head Ronny Jarpiko said garbage remained one of the key problems that could discourage the public from visiting the forest.
“We have intensified efforts to keep the place clean. This month, for instance, we will hold two community service events,” Ronny said.
He added that his office was making an inventory of facilities that were lacking at the park before informing the North Jakarta administration.
The forest preserve was established during the Dutch colonial period in 1939 and upgraded to a wildlife reserve in 1999.
Although the area is the country’s smallest reserve, the forest is a significant international bird conservation site in Java, according to a 2003 BirdLife International report.
