Tanjung Puting is one of the natural
wonders of the world! You may not believe this after you have been
there only two days or three days, but after the fourth or fifth day
something happens. You are captivated completely by the purity of the
air, the openness of the night sky with the most remarkable view of the
Milky Way, the magnificence and dignity of the gentle orangutans, the
thundering downpours that instantly cool the air, and the clarity of
the brilliant crimson sunsets. Tanjung Puting is the largest and most
diverse protected example of extensive coastal tropical heath and peat
swamp forest which used to cover much of southern Borneo. The area was
originally declared as a game reserve in 1935 and a National Park in
1982. While the Park has a checkered history of weak protection,
nonetheless, it remains substantially wild and natural.
Tanjung Puting is covered by a complex mosaic of diverse lowland
habitats. It contains 3,040 km2 (or 1,174 square miles) of low lying
swampy terrain punctuated by blackwater rivers which flow into the Java
Sea. At the mouth of these rivers and along the sea coast are found
nipa/mangrove swamps. Mangroves teem with animal life. Tanjung Puting
also includes tall dry ground tropical rain forest, primarily tropical
heath forest, with a canopy of 30 meters (approximately 100 feet) with
“emergents” exceeding 50 meters (approximately 165 ft) in height,
seasonally inundated peat swamp forest with peat in layers two or more
meters (approximately 7 feet) deep, open depression lakes formed by
fire, and open areas of abandoned dry rice fields now covered with
elephant grass and ferns. The tropical heath forest which is called
“kerangas” in parts of Borneo, is only found on very poor, typically
white-sandy soils and is characterized by medium-sized trees.
“Clouded leopards, civets, and
Malaysian sun bears cavort in the park as do mouse deer, barking deer,
sambar deer, and the wild cattle known as banteng.”
The best known animals in Tanjung Puting are the orangutans, made
famous through the long-term efforts of the Orangutan Research and
Conservation Program (predecessor to OFI), based at the landmark
Camp Leakey
research station. Tanjung Puting also boasts the bizarre looking
proboscis monkey with its “Jimmy Durante” nose as well as seven other
primate species. Clouded leopards, civets, and Malaysian sun bears
cavort in the park, as do mouse deer, barking deer, sambar deer, and
the wild cattle known as banteng. Tanjung Puting hosts over 230 species
of birds, including hornbills, deep forest birds, and many wetland
species. Tanjung Puting is well known for its “bird lakes,” seasonal
rookeries for a half a dozen species of endangered waterbirds,
including the only known Bornean nesting grounds for white egrets.
Tanjung Puting also has two species of crocodiles, dozens of snakes and
frogs, numerous threatened species, including the fortune-bringing and
highly endangered “dragon” fish also known as the Arwana
(bony-tongue). Among the most flamboyant of these animals are the many
species of colorful birds, butterflies, and moths found in the Park.
Sekonyer River in Tanjung Puting National Park
Tanjung Puting sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Java Sea.
The peninsula is low lying and swampy with a spine of dry ground which
rises a few feet above the omnipresent swamp. The north of Tanjung
Puting is characterized by gentle hills and gold-bearing alluvial
plains. In the past maps of the region commonly portrayed a ridge of
mountains coming down into Tanjung Puting. This mountainous ridge does
not exist; in fact, nowhere does the altitude rise above 100-200 feet
in Tanjung Puting.
“Tanjung Puting also boasts the
bizarre looking proboscis monkey with its “Jimmy Durante” nose as well
as seven other primate species.”
Tanjung Puting is a veritable hothouse of ecodiversity. The diverse
habitat zones shelter slightly different fauna and flora providing a
great variety of microhabitats for plants and animals and thus, the
opportunity for many species to be present in close proximity. In a
Bornean context, tropical heath forest by itself is not representative
of the largest trees, the tallest canopy, or the most diverse
ecosystem.
Tropical swamp ecosystems are little represented in protected areas
throughout Southeast Asia but are omnipresent in Tanjung Puting. In the
peat swamp forest, many trees have stilt roots or aerial roots as
adaptations to frequent flooding.
Aside from its remarkable biological attributes, Tanjung Puting is
highly important for the well-being of the surrounding local human
population. The wetlands provide vital ecological services such as flood
control, stream control regulation, erosion control, natural
biological filtration system, and seasonal nurseries for fish which are
the major source of local animal protein. Many of these services have
an impact well beyond the local area. For instance, the waters
surrounding Tanjung Puting attract fishing vessels from many different
parts of Indonesia. In addition, local people benefit from a great
variety of forest products including honey, waxes, aromatic woods,
fibers for ropes and cloth, medicinal plants, fuel oils, thatching
materials, rattan, firewood, incense, wild rubber, edible latexes,
resins, natural pesticides, fungicides and possible virocides.
Sekonyer River in Tanjung Puting National Park
For the above reasons and many other reasons not noted, Tanjung
Puting is recognized as one of the most important and outstanding
provincial treasures in Kalimantan Tengah. The national government has
also made a strong commitment to protect the forest, its wildlife, and
to manage the park wisely. Tanjung Puting has increasingly gained
international prestige and recognition. As a result, more and more
visitors from all over the world are experiencing a fresh new outlook
on nature and an appreciation of the tropical rain forest which was
humankind’s original “Garden of Eden.”
The peat swamp and fresh water swamp forest associations present in
Tanjung Puting were at one time extensive along the south coast of
Borneo from Banjarmasin in the east to the Kapuas River near Pontianak
in the west. These swamps extended up the northwest coast of Sarawak and
Brunei and as far as the Klias peninsula in Sabah. In Sarawak in
general, peat swamp forests are very well developed and they are still
very important there as a natural resource. In Kalimantan, however, much
of the swamp habitat has been converted, both permanently and on
shifting cultivation basis, to rice fields. Swamp habitats, as found in
Tanjung Puting, are becoming more difficult to find. Although Tanjung
Puting has suffered some encroachment from human activity, the Park area
is still wild and pristine. The vegetation supports a large population
of animals, making this one of the most important areas in Southeast
Asia for the preservation primates, birds, reptiles and fish.
Excerpts from A Guidebook to Tanjung Puting National
Park, Kalimantan Tengah (Central Borneo), Indonesia, by Dr. Biruté M.F.
Galdikas and Dr. Gary L. Shapiro, published by PT Gramedia Putaka
Utama and the Orangutan Foundation International, 1994. © All Rights
Reserved.
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