Alas Purwo National Park is situated on Blambangan Peninsula in the Banyuwangi Regency, at the southeastern tip of

East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

. The park is famous for its wild

Banteng The banteng (''Bos javanicus''; ), also known as tembadau, is a species of wild Bovinae, bovine found in Southeast Asia. The head-and-body length is between . Wild banteng are typically larger and heavier than their Bali cattle, domesticated ...

and surfing location at Grajagan Bay. The park's name means ''first forest'' or ''ancient forest'', following a Javanese legend that says the earth first emerged from the ocean here.

Geography

The park is located in Blambangan Peninsula at the southeastern tip of Java island, along the shore of the strait across

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

. With an area of 434 km², the park is made up of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, lowland monsoon forests, and coral-fringed beaches. An internationally renowned surf break peels along the edge of the park at Plengkung on Grajagan Bay. Mount Linggamanis (322m) is also located in this national park.

Flora and fauna

The flora protected in this national park include ''

Terminalia catappa ''Terminalia catappa'' is a large Tropics, tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, ...

'', ''

Calophyllum inophyllum ''Calophyllum inophyllum'' is a large evergreen plant, commonly called tamanu, oil-nut, mastwood, beach calophyllum or beautyleaf. It is native to the Old World Tropics, from Africa through Asia to Australia and Polynesia. Due to its importance a ...

'', '' Sterculia foetida'', '' Barringtonia asiatica,'' and ''

Manilkara kauki ''Manilkara kauki'' is a plant in the subfamily Sapotoideae, and the tribe Sapoteae of the family Sapotaceae; and is the type species for the genus ''Manilkara''.''Species Plantarum'' 2 1753 It occurs in tropical Asia from Indo-China (Cambod ...

''.Ministry of Forestry: Alas Purwo National Park
, retrieved 10-December-2009 It is home to some of Java’s

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, such as the banteng ('' Bos javanicus''). In April 2004, there were only 57 bantengs found in the

of Sadengan, while the population in the previous year was estimated to be 80 to 100, but in August 2010, the scientists found 73 bantengs in the 80-hectare savanna area, a big increase in 6 years, although they faced threats of

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

and loss of habitat. Herds of bantengs usually come to Sadengan in the morning and afternoon in search of plants. The biggest threat to the bantengs are humans.

Poachers Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunti ...

set traps outside the park during the dry season to snare bantengs wandering outside the park in search of water. The bantengs are slaughtered and the meat is sold. Other threatened animal species protected in Alas Purwo include the dhole, Javan langur, green peafowl,

red junglefowl The red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), also known as the Indian red junglefowl (and formerly the bankiva or bankiva-fowl), is a species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the a ...

, olive ridley, hawksbill turtle, and green turtle.

Surfing

Between the months of March and November, thousands of surfers from all over the world visit the park for its surf break. The destination is Plengkung Beach in Grajagan Bay, also known as G-Land, which is about half a day's travel from

. The beach is considered one of the best surfing spots in Asia. With rideable waves up to 5 meters, it is considered a spot for experienced surfers only. The place is listed as Quicksilver World Tour Circuit.

References

External links

*
Alas Purwo National Park
from Ministry of Forestry, Republic of Indonesia {{authority control Banyuwangi (town) National parks of Indonesia Geography of East Java Tourist attractions in East Java