East Java Tourism News

Speaking at the reception, Pungky Kusuma, General Manager of the property said, “We are confident that Bali is bullish on bouncing back. Business will be stronger in up coming months, especially on the corporate market side, coming from Indonesias major cities.”

Pungky told balidiscovery.com that since commencing to receive guests from its soft-opening on April 21, 2006, the hotel and its service have earned enthusiastic endorsements from its guests.

Source: www.balidiscovery.com

Exotic surf travel almost never has the kind of grace and logic that it does in magazines and movies. Beautiful, uncharted waves are out there, but its a long, tedious, sometimes dangerous job finding them. Only a few surfers ever sail out into the great unknown. This is why many people today think of Grajagan (G-Land), in southeast Java, not just as a perfect wave, but as a perfect adventure.
More than a name or a place, G-land is a haven. So close but yet so far from Bali, G-land is a magnet for swell and is definitely not overrated. The set up in G-land is simple, the relaxed atmosphere and pumping waves make for an experience like no other surf trip. Starting with the fact that its located at the edge of a jungle filled with birds, reptiles, insects and other creatures not found on the beaches of Sydney or Los Angeles.

G-Land is a long fast wave typical of most Indonesian waves, suggested surf board length at 68 ” 72 Gun ” unless you surf like a top 44 contender, so bring a couple of Guns and your hot-dogger for the small days or down at 20/20s. You should bring at least 2 boards, Indonesian waves are powerful and its possible to break boards, so be prepared and bring at least two boards.
Souce : www.my-indonesia.info/page.php?ic=13&id=946

Date and History of Establishment Originally established as protection forest in 1930 and redesignated as a 25,000ha ‘wild reservaat’ (equivalent to a Suaka Margasatwa or game reserve) in September 1937 under Government Decree GB. 25/9/37 Stbl. 544. The property was declared a national park in 1980.

Area 25,000ha

Land Tenure State

Altitude Ranges from sea level to 1,247m at the summit of Gunung Baluran.

Physical Features The principal geomorphological feature of the park is the now extinct volcanic cone and caldera of Gunung Baluran, which is connected to the much larger volcano complex of Ijen, some 35km to the south, by a 200m high saddle. The topography is steep and dissected by numerous deep valleys and rocky gullies, but attenuates to an undulating and flat relief in the north, east and south, and ultimately to a broken and rocky coastline in the north and east. A number of small islands lie off the east coast between Air Karang and Tanjung Candibang, while fringing coral reefs lie between Gatal and Bilik in the north; in the region of Mesigit and Bamah in the east, and adjacent to Bajulmati in the south.

Geologically, Baluran is quite separate from the larger Ijen complex to the south, and forms a part of the northern coastal zone where Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits are capped by small volcanoes. Two principal soil groups are found within the park, the most extensive being those of volcanic origin derived from weathered basalt, volcanic ash and intermediate volcanics. These form a graded series of rocky, shallow soils on the highest and steepest slopes, and deep alluvial soils in the lowlands. Although the upland soils possess high natural chemical fertility, they are highly porous and prone to excessive leaching, rendering them unsuitable for agriculture. Soils derived from marine sediments are limited to a few areas along the coast on salt flats and in mangrove swamps.

The drainage pattern is radial, and dominated by the Kacip River, which has its headwaters close to the western and southern boundaries of the reserve. The porous nature of the substrate restricts surface freshwater availability, particularly during the dry season, with precipitation seeping down to the impermeable larva layers to re-emerge at lower elevations (during the wet season) as springs in the coastal zone. The black lowland volcanic soils are less permeable and water flows over the surface, frequently ponding and forming semi-permanent pools and small lakes (Wind and Amir, 1977; Halim and Kvalvagnaes, 1979).

Climate The park lies in the driest part of Java and experiences a monsoon climate with a dry season between April and October/November, in contrast to central and western Java which experiences a tropical maritime climate. Mean annual rainfall figures of 900mm and 1600mm have been recorded at Asembagus and Bajulmati, respectively. Minimum and maximum figures, however, differ greatly from the mean, and exceptionally wet or dry years are not uncommon. Spatial variation is pronounced, with the northern and north-eastern areas typically having between three and five more dry months than the south and south-western regions. The wettest areas of the park are the southern slopes and central mountains (Wind and Amir, 1977).

Vegetation The predominant vegetation type is a fire climax savannah of anthropogenic origin, which can be divided into two sub-types: flat savanna on alluvial soils and flat to undulating savanna on black volcanic soils. The savanna on the younger alluvial soils totals some 1,500-2,000ha in the south-eastern part of the park and displays a transition, in an east-west direction, from open grassland with scattered lontar palm Borassus sp. through secondary scrub to forest, indicating a gradually diminishing influence of fire to the west. The dominant grass species of this vegetation association is Dichanthium caricosum, with Heteropogon contortus, Sorghum nitidus and Sclerachne punctata also occurring. Undulating savanna, on black volcanic soils, is more extensive, totalling some 8,000ha in the north and north-eastern parts of the reserve. The grassland is again dominated by D. cariosum. However, S. punctata, is rare, and S. nitidas more common than on the alluvial savanna. Other features include scattered individuals of Acacia leucophloea, Schleichera oleosa and Zizyphus rotundifolia, and a lack of surface freshwater, the only permanent water sources being confined to the coastal area. A number of forest types also occur within the park, the most notable of which is a freshwater swamp forest dominated by Excoecaria agallocha, Syzygium polyanthum and Buchania arborescens. A large area of this vegetation occurs at the River Kepula in the south-east, while smaller stands are found in the east and north-west. The other principal forest type is monsoon forest which covers some 4,000ha and can be sub-divided into lowland and upland sub-types. The lowland forest varies from open thorny woodland with a few evergreen tree species such as Zisyphus rotundifolia, Emblica officinialis, Acacia leucophloea, Sterculia foetida, Tamarindus indica and Azidarachta indica. Non-evergreen species include Schleichera oleosa, Schoutenia ovata, Kleinhovia hospita and Flacourtia indica. Some 5,000ha of these lowland monsoon areas in the south-western section of the park are currently under management as teak Tectona grandis plantations. Upland monsoon forest occurs above a transition zone between 250m and 400m and is characterised by a greater number of evergreen species than the lowland monsoon forest, an undergrowth of rattan in the wetter and steeper places and bamboo forests in patches on the western and southern slopes. Common tree species include Dryopetes ovalis, Homalium foetidum, Schoutenia ovata and locally Aleurites moluccana. Other distinctive habitats include stony stream beds or ‘curahs’. These are frequently flanked by riverine forest with an understorey of lianas and climbers including Discorea hispida and grasses. The wider stream beds with denser forest on their banks act as fire breaks and influence the movement of fauna by acting as ‘arboreal pathways’ between other vegetation types. The stream vegetation also provides a considerable ‘edge habitat’ in relation to its area (Wind and Amir, 1977). The reserve’s forests are notable for the presence of an endemic tree species Erythrina euodophylla (MacKinnon et al., 1982), and an exotic shrub/tree Acacia arabica which has become extremely invasive in many areas of the park. Coastal vegetation includes mangrove forst which is rather extensive at Kelor and Bilik. Dominant species include Avicennia spp., Sonneratia spp. and Rhizophora spp., with locally pure stands of Ceriops tagal and Rhizophora apiculata (Pfeffer, 1965; Wind and Amir, 1977). Beach vegetation development is generally poor, although species of the Barringtonia association are found, mainly on Teluk Porongan, south of Bamah. Marine vegetation includes two species of seagrass of the genus Thallasia and a red encrusting algae of the genus Lithothammion (Halim and Kvalvagnaes, 1979). A floral inventory can be found in Wind and Amir (1977).

Fauna Some 24 species of mammal are found in the park of which seven are ungulates. Notable among these are banteng Bos javanicus (V) for which the park harbours one of two substantial pure bred populations still surviving in Java (Ashby and Santiapillai, 1985). Other ungulates include feral water buffalo Bubalus bubalis, rusa deer Cervus timorensis, muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, two species of wild boar; Sus scrofa and S. verrucosus, and lesser mouse deer Tragulus javanicus. Carnivores are well represented and include leopard Panthera pardus (T), Javan wild dog Cuon alpinus javanicus (V), oriental small-clawed otter Aonyx cinerea (K), fishing cat Felis viverrina, leopard cat F. bengalensis and banded linsang Prionodon linsang.

Of the avifauna, some 147 of the 455 Javan species have been recorded from the reserve, of which insectivores are particularly notable. Of these, almost all the Javan species of swifts, swiftlets, tree swifts and swallows are present including silver-rumped swift Rhaphidura leocopygialis and white-throated needle tail Hirundapus caudacutus. Notable species of the evergreen monsoon forest include wreathed hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus, great (pied) hornbill Buceros bicornis, peafowl Pavo muticus (V), green jungle-fowl Gallus varius and spotted dove Streptopelia chinensis. Reptiles include snakes such as python Python sp. and lizards such as monitor Varanus salvator (Wind and Amir, 1977).

The fauna of the coastal coral reefs is extremely diverse, with dominant coral species including Acropora spp. and Porites lutea. In shallower water Millepora spp. co-dominates with Acropora spp., while at depths of 5-6m Seriatopora hystrix and Stylophora spp. become common. Notable reef fish include the commercially important milkfish Chanos chanos as well as garden eel Taenioconger sp., butterfly fish Chaetodon spp., clown fish; Heniochus spp. and Amphiprion spp., parrot fish; Holocentrus spp. and Scarus spp. and cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus and moorish idol Zancius canescens. Species of the deeper water include angel fish Pomacanthodes spp. and other related genera, as well as larger species such as black-tip reef shark (Halim and Kvalvagnaes, 1979).

Cultural Heritage The region is thought to have been an important hunting area as early as half a million years ago, when Java man Homo erectus used fire as a hunting aid. Stone terrace walls and other relics indicating long-term settlement have been found on the west and south slopes of Baluran, probably dating from the end of the Majapahit period (600 years BP) (Wind and Amir, 1977).

Local Human Population The surrounding region is relatively densely populated, particularly along the Banyuwangi to Sitobondo road in the north-west (some 68 people/sq. km in 1977), and in the south-east (238 people/sq. km). The regions to the west and south of the park, however, are sparsely populated due to their rugged topography and infertile soils. Settlements within the park totalled some 500 people in 1977 cultivating some 20% of the total park area. Of these, a number of small settlements with a total population of between 500 and 750 were located within a 5,000ha teak plantation in the south-east corner of the property. Along the north coast a number of fishing settlements (322 families in 1977) were located at Labuan Merak and Gunung Mesigit, while in the south-east corner of the park, north of Pandeyan, some 45ha are permanently cultivated and settled. Land use is predominantly settled agriculture, supplemented by livestock grazing and collection of forest products, such as fuelwood, bamboo, rattans, fruit and wild honey. Fishing is the dominant economic activity along the coast (Wind and Amir, 1977).

Visitors and Visitor Facilities The reserve received approximately 15,000 visitors in 1984 (E. Sumardja, pers. comm., 1985). A visitor centre and interpretive facilities are located at Bekol, 12km inside the park boundary. Guest houses (losman) are located at Baman and Bekol. There is an overnight shelter on the coast some 2.5km from Bekol (Anon., 1982).

Scientific Research and Facilities Research has been undertaken on: ecology (Appelman, 1937; Hoogerwerf, 1948, 1974 and Pfeffer, 1965) fauna (Callo, 1976; Ashby and Santiapillai, 1985) and marine ecology (Halim and Kvalvagnaes, 1979). General reports on the area include those by Schenkel and Schenkel-Hulliger (1967, 1969) and Westerman (1975).

Conservation Value The park is of great importance for the conservation of a number of large mammal species, in particular one of the two remaining populations of pure bred banteng in Java.

Conservation Management According to the 1977 management plan, the principal aim is to maintain the diversity of ecosystems in as natural state as possible and to maintain endangered species at optimum population levels. This is to be achieved via a number of strategies, including establishment as a national park, removal of exotic species such as buffalo and trees such as Acacia arabica and Leucaena glauca, boundary marking, halting of human pressure on the property by resettlement and development of administrative infrastructure and guarding. In addition, it is proposed that a system of three management zones be established, including buffer zones in the south-east and along the coast. It is proposed that these zones be gazetted as a game reserve, in order to allow management by PHPA. Other management areas include infrastructure zones, which would allow tourist development and facilities, and wilderness zones in which limited low-intensity development is permissible, such as construction of guard posts, camping facilities and trails. The 1983-1987 management plan revision makes a number of modifications to the original proposals and includes the extension of the marine buffer zone from 500m to 1,000m offshore and postponement of the feral buffalo removal programme pending a research programme to ascertain the relationship between this species and banteng. Other proposals include the establishment of a rehabilitation zone in the teak plantations to the south-east. Current management includes regular guard patrols and provision of facilities for tourism and education. No buffer zone had been established by 1982 (Wind and Amir, 1977; Robinson et al., 1982). The reserve is currently the subject of a management study by the New Zealand Department of Conservation in association with the Directorate of National Parks and Recreation Forests, under package ‘B’ of a World Bank forestry project. Under this study it is proposed to upgrade park protection by focusing on improvements to the guard force and administrative infrastructure (Watling, 1990). Park headquarters are located at Banyuwangi. The reserve is currently managed as an integrated unit with the adjacent Ijen-Merapi-Maelang Reserve.
Source : www.unep-wcmc.org