Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia
The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of the rarest species of mammals and one of the most endangered rhinoceros species, with fewer than 60 animals believed to exist in two known populations. Between 40 and 60 individuals inhabit Ujung Kulon National Park in West Java, Indonesia, and between three and five individuals are part of a likely non-viable population in the Cat Loc section of Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam.
Because Javan Rhinos inhabit dense tropical forests, they are not easy targets for poachers with guns. But they are vulnerable to poachers who use snares and traps to capture and kill the rhino so its horn can then be removed.
The area now known as Ujung Kulon National Park is the only remaining lowland forest site in Java. It received modest protection status in 1910 when it was declared a hunting reserve. In 1921, its status was upgraded into a nature reserve, and in 1980, it was declared as one of the first five national parks in Indonesia. In 1992, the Park and the Krakatau archipelago were declared Indonesia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Since the establishment of the Ujung Kulon peninsula as a Wildlife Reserve and later a National Park, considerable emphasis has been placed on studying and monitoring the Javan rhino population. Every few years, a census has been conducted using track analysis along transects. The population appears to have peaked in about 1980 at about 63 animals. After 1980, the population stabilized slightly below the peak, between 50 and 60 animals, and now is presumed to be between 40 and 60 animals and has not grown since that time. It is possible that the population has saturated its carrying capacity and no longer had potential for expansion within the area available – or, perhaps, other factors such as disease may play a role. Ujung Kulon is a small area and the total habitat available for the rhino is probably no more than about 30,000 hectares, for an average density of about one rhino per 400 hectares. Compared to other large forest herbivores, this is a normal figure at the high end of the range (Sumatran rhinos are generally 1 per 700-1000 ha, Malayan tapirs are one per 400-500 ha).
Although the Javan rhinos living in Ujung Kulon are protected by law, they are still seriously threatened by poaching and human encroachment. Pressure on natural resources is increasing in throughout conservation areas in Indonesia, including in Ujung Kulon, while the financial and organizational support for the park and its staff is being reduced by government. Further, the decentralization of management of natural resources to the district government level puts pressure on local governments to generate revenue. This often is done with a short-term view in favor of natural resource management practices which provide an immediate return, but are unsustainable. Additionally, rhino conservation is merely a limited part of the many activities of regular wildlife staff and existing government staff of protected areas simply do not have the time, flexibility and resources to concentrate on the intensive patrols and intelligence work required to protect the rhinos.
IRF’s Program in Ujung Kulon National Park
With an overarching goal of protecting and growing the Javan rhino population living in Ujung Kulon National Park, IRF and its partners fund and operate three anti-poaching units within the park, called Rhino Protection and Monitoring Units (RPMUs). Since 1998, these units have been operating in Ujung Kulon under the Program Konservasi Badak Indonesia /Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program (PKBI / IRCP). They work in close coordination with National Park staff.
RPMUs are the front-line defense for protecting Ujung Kulon’s rhino population. They are highly trained anti-poaching teams made up of four to six people that intensively patrol the key areas of Ujung Kulon to deactivate traps and snares and identify and apprehend illegal intruders, including poachers, and to investigate crime scenes, thus preventing or reducing the loss of wildlife to poachers. Each RPMU is led by a qualified wildlife ranger who has qualifications of a civil investigating officer (Penyidik Pegawai Negeri Sipil) and has the authority to carry firearms and arrest suspected poachers. Other members are contracted from the local community. All RPMU members receive rigorous training and evaluation before joining the program.
| Building a Bright Future for Javan Rhinos Although the Rhino Protection and Monitoring Units have effectively halted the threat to Javan rhinos posed by poaching, the severely restricted distribution and small population size of the species is a matter of serious concern. Unless new habitat or additional resources can be provided the population could easily become extinct in the wild as the result of a disease or other catastrophe. IRF and partners have developed a new strategy that will focus on maintaining and then expanding the wild population in Ujung Kulon to around 70 animals, and secondly, on establishing another wild population elsewhere in Indonesia through translocations, after identifying and securing a suitable rhino habitat of at least 400,000 hectares. |
During patrols, RPMUs also search for any signs of illegal activities. All illegal activities, including encroachment, timber theft, illegal hunting or poaching, and forest product theft, are recorded and investigated. Evidence is collected and if possible the perpetrators are delivered to the Park Headquarters for further processing. Unit members then work with the proper government authorities to ensure that all poachers and perpetrators of illegal activities are appropriately prosecuted.
Members of the anti-poaching units work closely with local communities to gather intelligence about suspected poachers and others participating in illegal wildlife trade, and also to build awareness and educate local communities about the importance of protecting the Javan rhino.
Since the anti-poaching units became operational in 1998, there have been no instances of rhino poaching inside Ujung Kulon National Park.
The Rhino Protection and Monitoring Units have created an Intensive Protection Zone in the areas occupied by rhino, especially along the east side of the peninsula where poaching is more likely to occur, and the rhino population has remained stable within this zone.
IRF needs your help to continue operations of the anti-poaching units in Ujung Kulon National Park. Visit our donate page to learn more about how you can help us protect Javan rhinos.
info@rhinos-irf.org.
