The Last Patch of Rainforest on Java

The emerald forests of Gunung Halimun National Park (GHNP) are one of the last stretches of lowland and montane forests on the densely populated island of Java. Established as a National Park just five years ago, GHNP is home to 23 mammal species, including the endemic Javan gibbon and grizzled langur. The park supports over 200 birds species, 500 plant species and a spectacular diversity of butterflies. To natives of nearby Jakarta, visiting the park is like walking back in time to when Javanese communities were small villages surrounded by nature. The people who live within the park cherish their traditional ways. But the future of their lifestyle is precarious.

In Indonesia, park status does not necessarily mean protection. The indigenous Kasepuhan and Sudanese communities who live in and around GHNP depend heavily on its resources. Terraces of verdant rice paddies scale the mountains and developments nibble away at the park's natural environment. Unsustainable fuel wood collection and harvesting of non-timber forest products continually erode the forests and prospectors comb the rivers and hills in search of gold. The challenge is to find a way that these communities can survive in balance with nature, to safeguard the watershed which is of major importance to the island, and to protect what's left of Java's biodiversity.

So what's being done about these problems?

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