Lorentz National Park Indonesia
Destinasi Pariwisata Indonesia-The
park stretches for over 150 km, from Irian Jaya's central cordillera mountains
in the north to the Arafura Sea in the south. The park can be divided into two
very distinct zones: the swampy lowlands and the high mountain area of the
central cordillera. The central cordillera itself can be subdivided in the
eastern part and the western part on the basis of geology and vegetation types.
Outstanding Universal ValueBrief synthesis
LorentzNational Park is located in Indonesia’s Papua Province, along the ‘Pegunungan
Mandala’ range, whose Puncak Cartenz (4884 m asl) is the highest peak in
Southeast Asia. The property covers an area of 2.35 million hectares, making it
the largest conservation area in Southeast Asia and stretches for over 150 km
from Irian Jaya’s central cordillera mountains in the north to the Arafura Sea
in the south.
Designated
as a National Park in 1997 under Decree of the Minister of Forestry the
property contains an outstanding range of ecosystems, representative of the
high level of biodiversity found across the region. It is one of only three
tropical regions in the world that have glaciers and its mosaic of land systems
ranges from snow-capped mountain peaks to extensive lowland wetlands and
coastal areas. The property also contains fossil sites, a high level of
endemism and the richest biodiversity in the region.
Thirty-four
vegetation types and 29 land systems have been identified within the property
along with some 123 recorded mammal species, representing 80% of the total
mammalian fauna of Irian Jaya. Mammals recorded include two of the world’s
three monotremes; the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), and the
long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijinii) a New Guinea endemic. In addition it
is also home to a large number of restricted range (45) and endemic (9) bird
species. The property has remarkable, cultural diversity, with seven ethnic
groups, maintaining their traditional lifestyles. The highland, communities
include the Amungme (Damal), Dani Barat, Dani Lembah Baliem, Moni and Nduga,
whereas in the lowlands there are Asmat, Kamoro and Sempan.
Criterion
(viii): The geology and landforms of Lorentz National Park display graphic
evidence of earths’ history. Located at
the meeting point of two colliding continental plates, the area has a complex
geology with ongoing mountain formation as well as major sculpting by
glaciation and shoreline accretion. The dominating mountain range is a direct
product of the collision between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates and
the property contains the highest points of the mountains of Papua New Guinea
and the only remaining glaciers on the island. There is also clear evidence of
post glacial shorelines.
Graphically
illustrating the geomorphological effect of the last glacial and post-glacial
periods, the mountains show all the classical glacial landforms including lakes
and moraines. Furthermore, there are five small remnant glaciers. While all
five glaciers are retreating rapidly under present climatic conditions, no
other tropical glacier fields in the world exhibit glacial evolution as well as
those in Lorentz National Park. There is also no better example in the world of
the combined effect of collision of tectonic plates and the secondary major
sculpting by glacial and post-glacial events.
Criterion
(ix): Lorentz National Park is the only protected area in the world that
incorporates a continous ecological
transect from snow capped mountain peaks to a tropical marine environment,
including extensive lowland wetlands. The geophysical processes and high
rainfall found along this transect are consistent with the development of
significant on-going ecological processes as is the division of the property
into two distinct zones: the swampy lowlands and the high mountain area of the
central cordillera. The climatic gradient, the greatest throughout the island
of New Guinea and the entire Australian tectonic region, extends from nival
zones and glaciers to lowland equatorial zones with an associated extreme range
of faunal and floral species and communities.
LorentzNational Park provides evidence of highly developed endemism in both plants and
animals, especially for the higher altitudes of the mountains, as expected in a
region combining on-going uplift and climatic warming.
Criterion
(x): The mountain building processes that have occurred over time have provided
temperate refuges in the tropics for ancient Gondwanan plant species during the
climatic warming that has occurred since the last ice age. For example, Lorentz
National Park’s Nothofagus beech forests are well represented, although their
closest relatives are otherwise confined to the cool temperate regions of
south-eastern Australia, New Zealand and the southern Andes. The property is
more than just the habitat for many rare, endemic and restricted range species.
Its large size and exceptional natural integrity makes it especially important
for their on-going evolution as well as thier long term conservation.
The
refugial effect or local genetic evolution, or both, are manifest as locally
endemic species or restricted range species. Much of the rich biota of Lorentz
National Park is new or of special interest to science. A number of mammal
species, including recent discoveries like the Dingiso tree kangaroo
(Dendrolagus mbaiso) discovered in 1994, have evolved to utilize the
specialized habitats within the property.
The
property covers substantial areas of two identified Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs)
with a total of 45 restricted range birds and nine endemic species. Two of the
restricted range bird species, Archbold’s bowerbird (Archboldia papuensis), and
MacGregor’s bird-of-paradise (Macgregoria pulchra), are considered rare and
vulnerable. Mammals recorded within the property include two of the world’s
three monotremes; the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), and the
long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijinii) a New Guinea endemic. Lorentz
National Park will become increasingly important for long term conservation of
the species already recorded and the many that remain to be discovered.
Integrity
One
of the outstanding features of the property is its large size, stretching for
over 150 km from Irian Jaya’s central cordillera mountains in the north to the
Arafura Sea in the south and covering 2.5 million ha, it is the largest
protected area in Southeast Asia, making it a globally significant large tract
of intact tropical forest. It is the only protected area in the world that
incorporates a continous ecological transect from snow capped mountains to a
tropical marine environment, including extensive lowland wetlands and
protecting a complex of river catchments that extend from the tropical ice-cap
to the tropical sea. The extensive size of the property is one of the guarantees
ensuring the integrity of the habitats it hosts, ranging from glaciers, alpine
vegetation, montane forest, lowland wet forest, freshwater marsh, to the
coastal mangrove forests in the Arafura Sea. The large area included within the
boundaries also assists in maintaining the high level of biodiversity found in
the park including numeorus endemic species.
Several
threats need to be addressed to ensure the integrity of the park including;
development pressures, road construction, boundary demarkation, mining activity,
petroleum exploration, illegal logging, impacts from human residents and
limited management capacities and resources. There is a need to develop a
comprehemsive management plan for the property which addresses the issue of
limited effective field management as well as long term protection of the
property from on-going threats. The size of the property, while providing an
inherent degree of protection, also greatly influences the level of funding,
staff capacity and technical expertise required to effectively manage. These
issues and threats need to be addressed in more detail to ensure the
outstanding universal value of the park remains intact and its stewardship is
assured. Previously identified threats, such as unclear boundaries of the
property and illegal fishing activities, are no longer considered as major
threats, but require continued monitoring to ensure the maintenance of the
integrity of the property.
Protection and management requirements
The
management of Lorentz National Park World Heritage Property is under the
authority of the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature
Conservation, Ministry of Forestry, Republic of Indonesia. The first formal
protection offered to the property covered a core area of the Lorentz landscape
and was applied in 1919 by the Dutch Colonial Government and removed as a
result of conflict with local people over land ownership. A Strict Nature
Reserve was subsequently established in 1978 with Lorentz National Park
(2,505,600 ha) established by Ministerial Decree in 1997 under Law No. 41 on
Forestry, 1999. The property is also covered by Law No. 5 of 1990 Concerning
Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystems.
Responsibility
for management of protected areas in Indonesia sits with the Directorate of
Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) within the Department of
Forestry in the Central Government. Operational management has been conducted
by Lorentz National Park Bureau (Balai Taman Nasional Lorentz) since 2007 under
the Minister of Forestry regulation 29/2006 which established the management
structure for the property.
The
Strategic Plan, the long term management plan and the zoning system are under
development through broad and participatory processes involving related
stakeholders. Long-term management tools address current and future threats
including the estabilishment of new districts and road development within the
property. Despite limited technical and financial resources, regular patrolling
activities carried out to detect and halt illegal activities in the park.
Nevertheless, additional resources are needed. To assist in addressing and
overcoming this problem, the “Friends of Lorentz” initiative has been endorsed
by a broad range of national and international partners, and aims to mobilize
long term financial and technical assistance, as well as much needed capacity
building for the effective management of the property.
The
Indonesian Ministry of Forestry has requested the local government to monitor
and halt continued work on a number of developments, including the existing and
planned road developments within the boundaries of the property. In addition,
the World Heritage Working Group under the Coordinating Ministry of Social
Welfare as the national focal point for World Heritage is establishing an
intergovermental coordination unit to address this issue and ensure continued
monitoring of road developments.
International experts are being identified by
the National Park management authority to proivde advice and technical
assistance to combat forest die-back caused by Phytophora disease in Nothofagus
forests. The private sector is also engaged providing necesary financial
support. In addition, acknowledging the importance of involving indigenous
communities in the effective protection of the park, communication channels are
being forged with local indigenous organizations. This collaboration is key to
facilitating negotiation and conflict resolution between different tribes as
well as in carrying out comprehensive studies on the biodiversity and natural
resources in areas where indigenous communities live.
Source: UNESCO
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