Mount Halimun Salak National Park 4.27

Mount Halimun Salak National Park is a 400 km2 conservation area in the Indonesian province of West Java on the island of Java. Established in 1992, the park comprises two mountains, Mount Salak and Mount Halimun with an 11-kilometer forest corridor. It is located near the better known Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, but the national park should be accessed from Sukabumi, 2 hours drive to the administration post and then 2 hours drive (30 kilometers) again to Cikaniki post gate.The park contains water catchment areas shielded from urban populations and agricultural areas to the north, as well as several endangered animals and rare birds.GeographyIts mountain tops reach 1,929 metres and are often mist-shrouded, while its valleys are thought to hide much that remains to be discovered. Mount Salak is a critical water catchment area for its very high rainfall. The park is an amalgamation of two important ecosystems at Halimun and Mount Salak, which are connected by an 11-kilometer forest corridor.Communities in the parkThe Kesepuhan traditional community is a group of around 5,300 people who live in the southern part of the park. Their main village is Ciptagelar.EcologyThe lower zones hold secure populations of the endangered West Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch moloch) - a sub-species of the silvery gibbon. Mount Halimun is its most secure habitat, but its range is restricted to a thin ring around the park as the species is not found above 1,200 metres. Javan lutung (Trachypithecus auratus), and other endemic species are evident; about half its 145 known bird species are rarely seen elsewhere in Java.