Way Kambas National Park
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| Way Kambas National Park | |
|---|---|
| Indonesian: Taman Nasional Way Kambas | |
 Sumatran rhino in the Way Kambas Sanctuary | |
  Way Kambas NP Location in Sumatra  Way Kambas NP Way Kambas NP (Indonesia) | |
| Location | Sukadana, East Lampung Regency, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Nearest city | Bandar Lampung, Metro |
| Coordinates | 4°55′S 105°45′E / 4.917°S 105.750°E |
| Area | 1,300 km2 (500 sq mi)[1] |
| Established | 1989[1] |
| Visitors | 2,553 (in 2007[2]) |
| Governing body | Ministry of Forestry |
Way Kambas National Park is a national park covering 1,300 km2 (500 sq mi) in Lampung province of southern Sumatra, Indonesia. It consists of swamp forest and lowland rain forest, mostly of secondary growth as result of extensive logging in the 1960s and 1970s.[3] Despite decreasing populations, the park still has a few critically endangered Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants and Sumatran rhinoceroses. It also hosts over 400 bird species.[4]
In 2016, Way Kambas was formally declared an ASEAN Heritage Park.[5]
Threats to the park are posed by poaching and habitat loss due to illegal logging. Conservation efforts include patrolling and the establishment of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary and the Elephant Conservation Centre.
In 2019 and 2021, the International Rhino Foundation was working to capture three Sumatran rhinoceros in the park.[6][7]
Plant species include Avicennia marina, Sonneratia species, Nypa fruticans, Melaleuca leucadendra, Syzygium polyanthum, Pandanus species, Schima wallichii, Shorea species, Dipterocarpus gracilis, and Gonystylus bancanus.[8] The sandy shores of the park are dominated by Casuarina equisetifolia.[3]
The park has 50 species of mammal, many of them critically endangered. There are only 12-14 Sumatran rhinoceros in the area,[9] down from around 40 in the 1990s.[10] The number of Sumatran elephants in the park was estimated to be 247 in 2015.[11] The population of Sumatran tigers has declined from 36-40 in 2000 to fewer than 30.[12] Other mammals in the park are the Malayan tapir, Sumatran dhole (Cuon alpinus sumatrensis) and siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus syndactylus).[8]
About half of the bird species inhabit the coastal swamps, including mangroves, riverine forest, freshwater and peat swamp forest, and the marshes of the area. The park is one of the last strongholds of the white-winged wood duck, with a population between 24-38 birds left, the largest in Sumatra.[3] Among the other 405 species of bird recorded in the park, are the Storm's stork, woolly-necked stork, lesser adjutant, crested fireback, great argus and Oriental darter.[8]
Among reptiles, the endangered false gharial crocodile is found in the coastal swamps.[3]
