Kayan Mentarang National Park : journey to the heart of borneo

Kayan Mentarang National Park (KMNP) was gazetted in 1996 with 1.35 million hectares along East Kalimantan’s borders with Sabah and Serawak. The area initially was established as a Nature Reserve in 1980. Elevations range from 300 to 2000 meters above sea level, with less than 5% below 500 m and more than 45% above 1000 m. Most of the terrain is quite steep. KMNP forms the headwaters of major East Kalimantan watersheds such as the Kayan, Sesayap and Sembakung rivers.

KMNP consists primarily of sandstone formations, and approximately 25% is volcanic. Soils generally are poor. The climate generally is wet without a pronounced dry season. The park is very remote. Access currently is limited to a few airports, boat travel on some few rivers, and by rough foot trails. KMNP is embedded in one of the world’s most important centers of biodiversity. Vegetation includes lowland, sub-montane, montane, limestone and heath forests, as well as grasslands, in a complex mosaic of habitats based on elevation, substrate, slope, other geomorphological factors, and stage of vegetational succession.

Several new species of plants have been discovered. Many more species have never previously been confirmed present in Kalimantan. As many as 150 species of mammals are expected to be confirmed as present in the national park once it is more adequately surveyed. Already, more than 300 species of birds have been sighted or reported as present. Several new species of fish have been identified, even though the effort to survey aquatic environments is only in its initial stages. Only preliminary surveys also have been implemented for reptiles, amphibians, and insects. There are many endemic species of fauna and flora, and a number are protected, rare, and considered threatened with extinction.

All of KMNP is located within 10 Wilayah Adats, inhabited by approximately 16,000 people living in 50 villages, some of which have been combined into larger settlements. Most of these Wilayah Adats have more than 50% of their land inside the current border of the national park, and some have more than 80% of their land included. Most of these people belong to one of the various ethnolinguistic groups collectively known as Dayaks. Studies of stone tombs indicate that Dayaks have lived in the area for at least 350 years. The traditional occupation of the local people is swidden and/or paddy rice agriculture combined with hunting animals and gathering plants from the forests for subsistence and to trade for cash.

Although the people generally are cash poor, their general economic level exceeds the provincial average. Health and educational services generally are at low levels. Traditional laws, or adat, are still recognized and govern many aspects of daily life, and the kepala adat, or traditional chief, is still respected. However, it appears that these traditional aspects of local life are receiving less emphasis and loyalty than in the past. Out-migration in search of better economic opportunities and improved health and education services caused the population of the area to decline substantially until the early 1980s, and there are many abandoned village sites within the national park. This trend appears to have stabilized and even reversed in some cases. There is a growing interest in re-settling some abandoned village sites because of economic or other problems in places where people now live, as well as the attraction of exploiting natural resources in the area. The unique KMNP situation requires several aspects of its management also be innovative.