The Beauty of Biodiversity in Wasur National Park, Merauke, Papua

After some time discussing the beauty of beaches, seas, mountains, and forests in other parts of Indonesia. Now something is interesting about the beauty of biodiversity in Wasur National Park, Merauke, Papua.

Wasur National Park, Merauke, Papua (Photo: inmynotes)

Wasur National Park in Merauke, Papua, turns out to have several endemic flora and fauna.

Location of Wasur National Park, Merauke, Papua

Wasur National Park is located only 15 minutes from the center of Merauke City.

Wasur National Park can be reached from Jayapura to Merauke in 1.5 hours. Then from Merauke to the location using a four-wheeled vehicle via the trans-Irian road.

History of Wasur National Park, Merauke, Papua

Quoted from Indonesiago.id, Wasur National Park stretches across three districts, namely Sota, Naukenjerai, and Merauke Districts, in Merauke Regency.

The entrance gate of the national park is not too far from the center of Merauke City, which is about 15 kilometers.

Wasur National Park Entrance (Photo: beritapapua.id) 

Since 1978, the Wasur Forest area has been designated as a nature reserve consisting of the Wasur Wildlife Reserve based on the Decree of the Minister of Agriculture number 252/Kpts/Um/5/1978 dated May 3, 1978, with an area of 206,000 hectares and the Rawa Biru Nature Reserve with an area of 4,000 hectares.

Then in 1982, the area of the Wasur Wildlife Reserve was increased by 98,000 hectares based on the Decree of the Minister of Agriculture number 15/Kpts/Um/1/82, so that the area increased to 304,000 hectares.

Also read: The Beauty of De Djawatan Benculuk Forest Banyuwangi.

In 1990 both areas (Rawa Biru Nature Reserve and Wasur Wildlife Reserve) were declared as Wasur National Park, based on the Decree of the Minister of Forestry number 448/Kpts-II/1990 dated March 24, 1990, with a total area of 308,000 hectares.

Furthermore, in 1997 Wasur National Park was established based on the Decree of the Minister of Forestry number 282 / Kpts-VI / 1997 dated May 23, 1997, with an area of 413,810 hectares.

In 2014, the Wasur National Park Agency was established based on the Decree of the Minister of Forestry number 2549 / Menhut-VII / KUH / 2014 concerning the Determination of the Wasur National Park Area covering an area of 431,425.12 Ha.

The area is located in the southeastern part of the island of Papua within the administrative area of Merauke Regency, South Papua Province.

The east is bordered by the Tonda Wildlife Reserve in Papua New Guinea, the west is bordered by Merauke City, the south is bordered by the Arafura Sea, and the north is bordered by the Maro River area.

Biodiversity in Wasur National Park, Merauke, Papua

Quoting from Kompas.com, the topographic condition of Wasur National Park is relatively flat with a slope of 0 to 8 percent. The soil types found are alluvial organosols, red yellow podzolic, and gray hydromorphs.

This area is one of the important wetland ecosystems in Indonesia because it has high biodiversity potential.

Musamus or anthill, found in Merauke, Papua (Photo: BARRY KUSUMA/Kompas.com)

Wasur National Park experiences two seasons, namely the dry season for 5 to 6 months (June/July--December) and the wet season for 6 to 7 months (January--June/July) in a year. This region has a monsoon climate.

In general, the types of vegetation found in the Wasur National Park area can be grouped into 10 forest classes as follows:

1. Melaleuca sp. Dominant Forest. (dominant melaleuca forest) is dominated by vegetation types, among others, Melaleuca sp, Lophostemon lactifluus, Xanthostemon sp, Acacia leptocarpa, Asteromyrtus symphiocarpa, Eucalypthus sp, and others.
2. Grass swamp is dominated by Pandanus sp, Phragmites karka, Hanguana sp, and lotus.
3. Grassland is dominated by vegetation types Graminae sp and Pandanus sp.
4. Savanna is dominated by vegetation types, among others, Melaleuca cajuputi, Banksia dentata, Asteromyrtus symphiocarpa, Eucalypthus sp, and Melaleuca sp.
5. Mangrove forest is dominated by vegetation types, among others, Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Exocaria agallocha, Rhizophora mucronata, Rhizophora apiculata, Xylocarpus granatum, Xylocarpus moluccana, and palm.
6. Rivarian forest is dominated by vegetation types, among others, Eucalypthus sp, Baringtonia cf acutangula, Trichospermum sp, Bamboo sp, Nypa fruticans, and Graminae sp. The exact extent of each monsoon and riparian forest remains unknown.
7. Monsoon forest is dominated by vegetation types, among others, Eucalypthus sp, Acasia auriculiformis, Acacia mangium, Dillenia alata, Banksia dentata, Rhodomyrtus sp, and others.
8. Coastal forest is dominated by vegetation types, among others, Exocaria agallocha, Premna corymbosa, Terminalia catappa, Pongamia pinnata, Thespesia populnea, and Cocos nucifera.
9. Woodland forest is dominated by vegetation types, among others, Vitex pinnata, Melaleuca sp, Xanthostemon sp, Trichospermum sp, Dillenia alata, Eucalypthus sp, and Asteromyrtus symphiocarpa, at the bottom of which grow various shrubs.
10. Co-dominant Melaleuca sp-Eucalypthus sp., (co-dominant melaleuca-eucalypthus forest) is dominated by vegetation types, among others, Melaleuca cajuputi, Eucalyptus alba, Asteromyrtus symphiocarpa, Eucalyptus pelita, Eucalyptus sp, Rhodomyrtus sp, and others.

Meanwhile, in Wasur National Park there are estimated to be 80 species of mammals. As many as 34 species have been identified and 32 species of which are endemic to Papua.

In addition, there are at least 403 species of birds 74 species of which are endemic to Papua and it is estimated that there are 114 protected species.

For fish species, there are 39 species out of 72 species that are estimated to exist, 32 species of which are found in Lake Rawa Biru, and 7 species are found in the Maro River

As for reptiles, 21 species have been recorded, four types of turtles, five types of lizards, eight types of snakes, and one type of chameleon.

Also read: Trawas, a Natural Tourism Destination in Mojokerto.

For amphibians, there are only 3 types, while insect data in the Wasur National Park area is still not widely obtained, but at least 48 species have been recorded.

The native large mammals found in the Wasur National Park area are three marsupials, namely agile kangaroos (Macropus agilis), forest/common kangaroos (Darcopsis veterum), and bus kangaroos (Thylogale brunii).

Wasur National Park Becomes a Bird's Paradise

The types of birds found in Wasur National Park, among others, garuda irian bird (Aquila gurnayei), cenderawasih (Paradisaea apoda), cockatoo (Cacatua sp), mambruk (Goura cristata), kestrel (Accipiter sp), nandur (Ailuroedus sp), grouse (Anas sp), Heron (Ardea sp), and others.

Hunt for beauty in Wasur Merauke National Park (Photo: Trubus.id)

Wasur National Park which is a wetland area is a very important place for water birds in Indonesia, especially migratory birds to and from Australia and New Zealand.

The region is therefore of international significance as a stopover for thousands of migratory birds between Australia and Asia.

Areas that are often the habitat of migratory birds are grassland areas, Rawa Biru Lake, Dogamit Swamp, Mblatar Swamp, and Ndalir Beach.

Ndalir Beach and Dogamit Swamp are frequented by groups of migratory shorebirds every year during August and November, such as Calidris ruficollis, Xenus cinereus, Calidris tenuirotris, and Charadrius mongolus.

The right time to visit Wasur National Park is in October. During those times, birds from Australia and New Zealand migrate to Wasur looking for warmth. Among them, are the coastal trinil, black nodding gull, spectacle tern, jambon tern, Australian kirik-kirik, and black nape tern.

Cenderawasih (Photo: portal.merauke.go.id)

Bird-watching activities are usually centered around Rawa Biru. In addition, the Wasur National Park area is a large wetland, where a lot of aquatic life is an important component of biodiversity in the area.

Some species of fish in this area, among others, are arowana (Scleropages jardinii), snakehead fish, loreng snapper (Amniataba affinis), and chopsticks loreng (Toxotes jaculatrix).

In addition, there are also other types of fish such as barb fish (Arius graeffei), catfish (Clarias batrachus), yellow snapper (Glassomia aprian), and small glass fish (Ambassis agrammus).

Reptiles found in Wasur National Park, namely two types of crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus and Crocodylus novaeguineae), monitor lizards (Varanus sp), Irian long-necked turtles (Chelodina novaeguineae) and red-breasted turtles (Emydura subglobosa), lizards (Mabouya sp), snakes (Liasis, Python) and chameleons (Calotus jubatus).

While the types of frogs recorded are only three types, namely tree frogs (Hyla caerulea), irian tree frogs (Litoria infrafrenata), and green frogs (Rana macrodon).

That's information about "the beauty of biodiversity in Wasur National Park, Merauke, Papua". Hopefully, it can give an attraction for those of you who want to enjoy the natural beauty of Indonesia, especially in Papua.