Location: East Java Map
Area: 503 km²
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is nature
reserve in the East Java Island in Indonesia. Bromo Tengger Semeru
National Park covers an area of 503 sq km. The park was founded on
October 14, 1982. It has an area of 502.76 km² and is managed by
the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The difference in height
is from 750 to 3676 meters above sea level, the average height is
about 2100 meters. In 2007, the park was visited by 61,704 people.
The administrative park is divided between the districts of
Lumajang, Probolingo, Pasuruan and Malang.
The park is the only protected area in Indonesia, where there is erg
(sandy sea), which has been an independent protected area since
1919. As the name implies, the "pearls" of the park are the caldera
of the ancient Tenger volcano, from which five new volcanic cones
rose, the most notable of which is Bromo (2329 m); and Semeru
volcano (3676 m) - the highest mountain of the island of Java and
the third highest mountain of the country. Also in the territory of
the park there are other mountains up to 3035 meters high (Kepolo),
four lakes and 50 rivers, there are waterfalls, caves, revered by
the natives as saints; temples, villages and rice fields.
Flora and fauna
Flora
The flora of the park, numbering 1025 species, varies markedly
depending on the altitude zone.
The foothill zone (750-1500 m - south, east and west of Semeru) is a
tropical rainforest. The families of beech, mulberry, cashew,
sterculia, madder, aroid, family and ginger dominate there; calamus,
pepper, bones and begonia. Also there are 226 species of orchids.
In the mountain zone (1500-2400 m), the number of plants decreases
markedly, most of them are the so-called "pioneer species".
Nevertheless, here you can find stunted trees of the species
Casuarina junghuhniana, Vaccinium varingifolium, Paraserianthes
lophantha and acacia downhill. Among herbs and flowers, species of
Anaphalis javanica are common, the emperor is cylindrical and
centella asiatica; the genera Pteris and Themeda.
Vaccinium varingifolium, Casuarina junghuhniana, Paraserianthes
lophantha and Anaphalis javanica are found in the sub-alpine zone
(2400-3676 m). On Mount Semeru, plant life is absent above 3,100
meters, since the soil there is loose rocky sandstone.
Fauna
The fauna of Bromo-Tenger-Semeru for such a territory is relatively
poor. 130 species of birds live here (27 of them are protected by
law), 22 species of mammals (15 of them are protected by law) and 4
species of reptiles. Among the most noteworthy animals of the park,
one can note the birds of the Indian sparrowhawk, green peacock,
Javanese salmon and Brahmin kite, deer mane-sucked zambar, wolf Cuon
alpinus sumatrensis, monkey crab-eater, cats marble cat and Javanese
leopard, pangolin javanese lizard.
Natives
The park and the area around it are inhabited by the Tengers, one of
the few prominent Hindu communes that have remained on the island of
Java to this day. Their beliefs and lifestyle have not undergone
significant changes since the Majapahit kingdom existed here
(1293-1520). The Tengers believe that they are the direct heirs of
this empire and were expelled to these mountains in the 19th century
due to the massive influx of Muslims from the island of Madura. .