Extreme terrain hinders exploration of Mt Salak

Theresia Sufa ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Mt. Salak   |  Tue, 04/28/2009 12:51 PM  |  City

Inaccessible and extreme terrain has previously hindered botanical research of Mount Salak, Bogor West Java according to nature experts.

"In 2008 LIPI researchers conducted explorations of flora and fauna around the mountain. A complete dissertation of vegetation classification by Muhammad Wiharto was also added to the research list in February this year," said Bambang Supriyanto, head of the Halimun Salak National Park (TNGHS), where Mt Salak is located.

"Its beauty and richness is a mystery as there has been minimal research of flora and fauna in the area," added Bambang.

Mt Salak is an active volcano, last erupting in 1938. This 1365-meter-tall natural attraction has 200 points of outpouring sulphur. Salak's peak is divided into two parts, the 2211-meter-high Peak I and the 2180-meter-high Peak II.

"There has been little research conducted on the mountain due to the difficult terrain, even though the mountain is rich in flora and fauna. One of the easiest routes can be traced from Cidahu, Sukabumi," said Joeny S. Rahayu, a forest ecologist from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), who coordinated the survey team.

"We explored the flora and fauna around Cidahu in 2008, but the exploration was limited to areas around Cidahu only. We expect to finish the Cidahu exploration in 2010," she said.

Joeny said the team of researchers wanted to focus on making a complete inventory of Mt Salak. She said the research was racing against environmental degradation, and therefore needed to complete the survey before any species became extinct.

She said they wanted to make an inventory of ethno-botany: of plants used by local residents for cuisine and medicinal purposes.

Besides flora, fauna around the mountain consists of leopards, Javan gibbons and Javan raptors.

The natural attraction of the area beckons to many mountain climbers from various regions.

"Many mountain climbers come to Mt Salak through illegal routes. They do so for adventurous reasons, which are actually dangerous. They don't follow the rules we place along the tracks," Bambang said.

Around 8,000 to 13,200 mountain climbers have reached Peak I and Peak II. Ninety percent of them aimed to reach the Queen's Crater, consisting of Dead Crater I and Dead Crater II.

Nine climbers have been killed over the past five years, mostly around the Queen's Crater area.

The highest number of deaths was on July 4, 2007. Eight mountain climbers from a state junior high school in Jakarta, SMP VI, died after entering the crater area without the necessary equipment to prevent sulphur poisoning. In 2008, a mountain climber also died due to lack of food supplies.

To prevent more deaths, the TNGHS closes down the mountain area twice a year.

The first closure is between Jan. 1 and 31. If rain intensity is high, the area can be closed for two months. Poisonous sulphur gas can rise as high as 1 meter during the rainy season. The rainy season is also good for the rejuvenation of the mountain's flora and fauna.

The second closure is effective between Aug. 1 and 31, during the dry season. The recklessness of mountain climbers can cause fires in the mountain's forests. Fires razed a 2.5-hectare area of the forest in July 2008.

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