The compass took us to the southernmost province on the island of Sumatera, Lampung. Way kambas national park become our destination. It such a great experience to see the sumatran endemic fauna like Sumatran elephant, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros and many more.
Way Kambas National Park is a national park covering 1,300 square kilometres in Lampung province, 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. Despite decreasing populations, the park still has a few critically endangered Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants and Sumatran rhinoceroses.
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 2016, Way Kambas was formally declared an ASEAN Heritage Park. To protect the endemic fauna of Sumatera, goverment build some conservation center such as The Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) to protect the habitat of endangered Sumatran elephants.
According to the information that I got, there are approximately 200 Sumatran Elephants living in Way Kambas National Park. The number is quite small compared to the extent of this National Park area which covers 1,300 square kilometers. To be honest, this is very sad.
I hope that one day mankind will realize how important is natural balance for a better future.
