40 days East Java to West Java ( DBMM - Digital Bamboo Mapping and Monitoring ) 5 days @ merubetiri National park -PART 2 Sarongan – Green bay – Sukamade . Jember – curah nongko - bendealit 3 days of very heavy rain Sarongan trip to Sukamade was concerned, in addition to the river-suangai that most have not discouraged our bridges are also hard to get access to the signal, wilderness merubetiri we do not know well just rely on the signs of nature, we need some time to avoid the trap of nature that can not be predicted safest thing is perpatokan at sea that stretches to the south with the provision that we suddah kitung for 4 people for a week to be able to survive with the good, the porter who was slain one we rely on turns abruptly canceled and no replacement, the three of us stick to the plan once it is able to measure the height and finding triangulation point on the mountain CAPIL, LEMBU mountains still in Banyuwangi region was long to penetrate the bush and coastal tropical forests we started a lot to learn from our remarks already made manivest during ekspidisi, Here we demanded more wisely during our trip can be thankful there are no obstacles which means we stay healthy and to what which we had prepared for 3 months ago .... Sukamade beach is about 97 km to southwest of Banyuwangi. It is a natural, quiet, beautiful place and part of the 50,000 hectare Meru Betiri National Park. Almost every night of the year, turtles appear on Sukamade beach to lay eggs. It is clearly a globally important site and one which is protected 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by the over-worked park rangers. Some eggs are taken by the rangers to protect them from predators, both human and other animals. These are incubated in the safety of the park hatchery and the youngsters are released to the ocean on the very beach from where the eggs were laid. There are similar beaches within the park boundary but it seems to be Sukamade that the turtles prefer. The stability of the turtle population has been helped by a careful system of tagging and monitoring, as well as the use of the special hatcheries. Watching these giant creatures emerge from the surf and struggle-up the beach to lay their eggs on a moonlit night is a unique and unforgettable experience, and one which is certain to ensure Sukamades ever-growing profile. This is certainly off the beaten track and requires some effort to reach but it is very worthwhile indeed. History The Meru Betiri National Park officially came into being in 1982 but Sukamade has had a turtle conservation facility since 1972. Since then, nearly 3,000 turtles have been tagged here. Records show that the Dutch first found this beach as recently as the 1920s. Landscape Lush coastal tropical forest including fringing mangroves with some more open savannah-like areas. The beaches are stunning with white sand and big waves. Flora and fauna At Sukamade Beach itself: green sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, olive ridley turtle and the occasional leatherback. The wilderness jungle of the surrounding Meru Betiri National Park is probably the last hope for a surviving Java tiger. The only recent evidence though has been footprints and faeces and your chance of seeing one is as close to nil as to be irrelevant. Some of the rangers believe the tiger is already extinct while even the most optimistic estimates put the population in low single figures. Other mammals present in the park include banteng, leopard cat, wild pig, muntjac and Java rusa deer. There is also a diverse and varied birdlife. Climate Tropical and not noticeably different from elsewhere in Java. It rains a lot from December through March when the rivers (which are always difficult to cross) may prove to be impassable and the way in very difficult to negotiate. Get in Sukamade can be approached from Banyuwangi to the northwest or from Jember to the north-east. This journey requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle or large truck for the last 50 km. Hiring a driver/guide guided in Banyuwangi with a suitable 4 x 4 is certainly the most comfortable way. The roads are very rough and several rivers need crossing via fords (there are no bridges) - a regular road car will not make this. You should aim to stay at least one night at Sukamade, take in the beauty of the beach and understand the place. That being said, visitors do day trip from Banyuwangi (returning very late at night as you need to be on the beach in the hours of darkness for the full turtle experience). Expect to pay a driver about Rp 800,000 (1 jeep up to 4 passenger) for his services and the car on trip sarongan-sukamade (go and back). Petrol will be extra. An alternative is to approach from the village of Kalibaru, 60 km east of Jember. From here, stay at the splendid Margo Utomo Homestay (see lodging below) and they will organise to get you to Sukamade by truck. Travellers on a tight budget can try the following: • Take a bus from Jember/Banyuwangi to Jajag (about 80/40 km = 2,5 / 1,5 hours). • Bemo from Jajag to Pesanggaran (about 20 km). • Take the bemo or ojek or daily truck from Pesanggaran market at 1 pm to Sarongan and finally Sukamade. There is only one truck each day and if you are going to miss it, stay at Jajag and continue the following day as there is absolutely nowhere to lodge in Pasanggaran. Fees/Permits admission region Meru Betiri National Park (sukamade) as Rp.70.000 / person, but will be issued new regulations concerning the increase in the national park entrance fees to as much as Rp 250,000 / person (still pros and cons). Other costs to be paid at the beach visitors Sukamade are: guide services saw turtles landed at night as much as Rp. 150,000 / group (a group up to 10 people). Other costs are: guide services release baby turtles (tukik) in the late afternoon or early morning as many as Rp. 100,000 / group.You can also make a donation to fund the conservation of sea turtles. Meru Betiri National Park is a national park in the province of East Java, Indonesia, extending over an area of 580 km² of which a small part is marine (8.45 km²).[2] The beaches of the park provide nesting grounds for endangered turtle species such as leatherback turtles, hawksbill turtles, green turtles, and olive ridley turtles.[3] Geography and climate Meru Betiri National Park has a varied topography reaching from a plain coast to highlands with an altitude of almost 1,200 meters. The tallest mountains within the park are Mount Gamping (538 m), Mount Butak (609 m), Mount Sukamade Atas (801 m), Mount Gendong (840 m asl), Mount Mandilis (844 m) and Mount Betiri (1,192 m). The topography along the coast is generally hilly to mountainous. There are only few sandy plain coasts, most of them located in the west, such as Rajegwesi Beach, Sukamade Beach, Permisan Beach, Meru Beach and Bandealit Beach. Some rivers across Meru Betiri NP are Sukamade River, a perennial river, Permisan River, Meru River and Sekar Pisang River that flow to the South coast.[4] The Meru Betiri area is influenced by monsoon wind. During November to March, the westerly wind brings rainfall to the area, whereas the dry season occurs during April to October. The average annual rainfall is between 2,300 and 4,000 mm, with 4 dry months and 7 wet months in average. Vegetation As a result of its diverse topography, Meru Betiri NP contains five distinct vegetation types: • Coastal vegetation, found around Sukamade Bay and Meru Bay. This vegetation includes the Barringtonia asiatica, Calophyllum inophyllum, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Terminalia catappa, and Pandanus tectorius. • Mangrove vegetation, found at the eastern side of the Rajegwesi Bay as the outlet of Lembu and Karang Tambak Rivers, Meru Bay and Sukamade Coast. The dominant vegetations are Rhizophora, Avicennia and Bruguiera. At the outlet of the Sukamade River, there is Nypa fruticans. • Swamp vegetation, found at the back of the mangrove forest of Sukamade. Some tree species here are Manilkara kauki, Gluta renghas, Alstonia scholaris, and Sterculia foetida. • Lowland tropical rain forest, including among others tree species of Pterospermum, Tetrameles nudiflora, Ficus variegata, Diospyros cauliflora, Aglaia variegata, Dracontomelon mangiferum, Bischofia javanica, Dysoxylum gaudichaudianum, Pseudobombax septenatum, Litsea, and Plectocomia elongata. • Rheofit, found in the wetland areas, such as at the Sukamade area. The dominant vegetation species here is the Saccharum spontaneum. Fauna The park provides habitat for many other protected animals, including 29 species of mammal and 180 species of bird. Among them are the banteng, leopard, wild boar, long-tailed macaque, dhole, Javanese flying squirrel, leopard cat, Javan muntjac, and green peafowl. The beaches of the park provide nesting ground for leatherback turtles, hawksbill turtles, green turtles, and olive ridley turtles. Meru Betiri National Park is known as the last habitat of the Javan tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica) which is now considered extinct, with the last sighting having been recorded in 1976. Due to a research in 1997 found a tiger paw prints at size 26–28 cm, so the Forestry Ministry has agreed to monitor the existence of the Javanese tiger by camera trap in 2011. Conservation The Meru Betiri Forest area was first appointed as a protected forest by the Dutch Colonial Government in 1931. In 1972 the Meru Betiri Protected Forest (500 km²) was appointed as a wildlife sanctuary, prioritized for protecting the habitat of the then endangered Javan Tiger. In 1982 the sanctuary was expanded to its current extent of 580 km² including a marine area of 845 ha. In 1982 the sanctuary was declared a National Park, which finally has been designated as such in 1997. National Park Office Meru Betiri National Park Office: Jl Sriwijaya 53, Jember 68121, East Java, Tel/Fax: +62 331 335535, E-mail: merubetiri@gmail
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 02:58:39 +0000
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