The fifth and final step is population monitoring through extensive, in-depth and integrated ecological and social studies. This lengthy procedure, which began several years ago, must be continued and updated based on the most recent field experience and expert knowledge. Several places outside the park, such as the Cikepuh Wildlife Reserve in Sukabumi, West Java, have also been surveyed for the possibility of establishing a second Javan rhino habitat. Because those areas are still within Ujung Kulon National Park, the decision-making process for this plan should be relatively easy. The habitat expansion idea is worth considering. Several parties have considered developing improvement and extension of rhino habitats in additional areas such as Mount Honje, Gunung Payung, and Panaitan Island. The fourth task is to appropriately plan for habitat improvement and expansion in Ujung Kulon and other locations. Habitat management should be done hand-in-hand with other conservation efforts, such as individual-level monitoring. These can be accomplished through science-based habitat management. One way is to monitor and control invasive or/and alien species, such as through programs that help contain the spread of Langkap plants ( Arenga obtusifolia).Īlthough they are locals, langkap plants spread quickly and widely throughout Ujung Kulon and are believed to have taken over habitat areas where plants favored by rhinos-such as putat (Planchhonia valida), kijahe (Cronton auypelas) and kililin (Podocarpus amara)-are known to grow.īetter quality and more spacious habitat mean higher carrying capacity, allowing the increased in the birth rate and survival of calves.ĭemographic balance and rhino genetic enhancement at the individual and population levels must also be maintained. Third, improve Javan rhino habitats to ensure conditions are favorable for their reproduction. Some of these illnesses have even been found in the rhinos' immediate environment.Ī team of 105 volunteers from Ujung Kulon National Park departed from Peucang Island to conduct a census of the Javan rhino. Some diseases have been reported in the western part of Java that may infect rhinos, including Septicemia Epizootica (snoring sickness), anthrax (mad cow disease) and surra (blood infection). This could come from visitors, livestock, or pets living in the area and its immediate vicinity. Rhinos in Ujung Kulon are also quite vulnerable to the emergence and spread of disease outbreaks. Some sites in the area are also deemed sacred and serve as pilgrimage sites for people from all over the region. Illegal activities could endanger rhinos and other wildlife in the vicinity.Ī number of fishers use certain areas of the national park to hunt for fish or seek shelter from storms. Tsunami risk area due to earthquakes which can be either due to plate tectonic or volcanic related to activities of the nearby Mount Krakatoa.Īnother issue is that most of the Ujung Kulon area, which directly borders the open waters of the Sunda Strait, is still relatively open access. Their habitat is prone to rising sea levels as a result of tsunamis or global warming. Javan rhinos are also vulnerable to human threats and fragility of their habitat condition. Even if such accidents occur, the chances are high that a number of individuals will survive and preserve the species. In a large population, the risk becomes lower. These include demographic dynamics (such as changes in sex composition and age group), genetic processes, and disasters that may lead to their extinction.įor a small population living only in one area, a single catastrophic event might wipe out the entire species. To bring Javan rhino further away from the risk of extinction, conservation efforts must continue and even scaled up.īecause of its small number, the Javan rhino population is particularly vulnerable to stochastic or random natural events, which are difficult to foresee and control. There are an estimated 74 individuals in existence-that's not a large number for the global population of a species. Javan rhinos are still classed as "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). With the loss of the last individual in Vietnam, Indonesia remains the only country that has been successful in protecting the species.Īs its population has increased, is the animal now safe from extinction? The Javan rhino was once found throughout many parts of Asia, but outside Indonesia its population has continued to dwindle.
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