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INDONESIA is beautiful islands and pristine beaches, mountains with peaks that touch the sky, bustling cities and a thriving nightlife, as well as rich natural parks with unique endemic ecosystems and volcanoes.
Indonesia currently has eight Unesco-listed parks, four are cultural while the other four are natural.
Of the 53 national parks in Indonesia, six are World Heritage Sites, nine are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and five are wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar convention.
A total of nine parks are largely marine.
When it comes to natural beauty, the country’s national parks boast that and more.
The lush greenery of its national parks sheltering elephants, orangutans, tigers, and other wildlife. An untapped treasure of rare species of mammals, birds, and plants, Indonesia declared them as national parks to protect the areas.
The view from Senaru Rim, one of the campsites at Mount Rinjani, Lombok. Source: Shutterstock.
You’ve probably already seen pictures of or at least heard of the Komodo National Park located within the Lesser Sunda Islands, a World Heritage Site that is the home to the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard.
Here’s a sneak peek at the other national parks that may soon be listed by Unesco as well:
Sembilang National Park
Located along the east coast of Sumatra, the Sembilan National Park covers over 2,000km of swamps as peat forests.
The park is remarkable as it is considered to have the more complex shorebird community in the world, with 213 species recorded. It also has the world’s largest breeding colony of milk storks.
Its national status was declared in 2003 as it was under threat from small-scale illegal logging.
The park is currently listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
Mount Rinjani National Park
Forests, volcanoes, and waterfalls are what makes Lombok’s 102,100-acre Mount Rinjani National Park so appealing.
Home to Indonesia’s second-highest volcano, Mount Rinjani, the park boasts a sacred 3,726m peak that is worshiped by thousands of Balinese as well as Sasak pilgrims.
The area is also home to two otherworldly waterfalls, Air Terjun Sindang Gila and Air Terjun Tiu Kelep, draped with tropical greens.
There are several endangered flora and fauna which are being protected in the park, such as the rusa deer, Indian muntjac, Sunda porcupine, surili monkeys, helmeted friarbird, and scaly-crowned honeyeater, just to name a few.
In April, Unesco officially recognized Mount Rinjani as a global geopark site.
Betung Kerihun National Park
In West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo along the Malaysian border is the magnificent mountainous Betung Kerihun National Park.
Its lowland forest is filled with trees of the dipterocarp species while oaks and chestnut trees dominate its hilly terrain at a higher altitude. However, it has been threatened by illegal logging.
The fauna of Betung Kerihun National Park is particularly rich, with 300 species of bird (25 native to Borneo), 162 fish species, and 54 mammals.
It is also home to a handful of endangered species such as the Bornean orangutan, maroon leaf monkey, and the Sunda slow loris.
Several Dayak tribes, including Dayak Iban, Dayak Taman, and Dayak Bukat live in 12 villages in and around the park.
The post Indonesia wants Unesco to list these 3 destinations appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com