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Ujung Kulon National Park is planning to develop a 3000 hectare conservation area for the endangered Javan rhino next year in an effort to boost the population of the endangered species by 2015.

“The conservation area is also expected to become a world-class wildlife park that could also help to boost the number of domestic and foreign tourists,” said Enjat Sudrajat, a spokesman for the national park, on Tuesday.

The plan was first made public in June when wildlife authorities announced they would divide the lone herd of Javan rhinos into two populations.

The new herd would be relocated only as far as the Gunung Honje area, which borders the current population’s habitat in the Semenanjung Ujung Kulon area.

By starting a new herd, authorities believe the animals will be encouraged to breed faster.

Enjat said the conservation area will be developed in cooperation with the Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI) and a number of international non-governmental organizations such as the International Rhino Foundation.

YABI’s secretary Agus Darmawan expressed his optimism that the effort would be successful since the project would involve scientists and conservationists who are very familiar with the species.

Indonesia is home to two out of the five rhino species in the world — the Sumatran rhino and the Javan rhino.

Enjat said they will assist in the effort to increase the single-horned rhino’s population in the park, where an estimated 60 Javan rhinos still remain.

He said the Javan rhino population has been largely concentrated in the 38,000 hectare Gunung Honje area within the national park.

“I think Gunung Honje’s location will be suitable since it has enough pasture areas and it’s not too far [from the original habitat],” he said.

He said that he expects that the Banten provincial administration and Pandeglang district administration will support the cause since it could contribute to stimulating the local economy and creating new job opportunities, especially since the Javan rhino has been adopted as Pandeglang district’s mascot.

The development of the breeding ground for the endangered species would involve foreign researchers, he added.

Financial supporters from the United States have also pledged their commitment to donate.

The money, Enjat said, will be used to finance the conservation area’s operational costs, including for the protection and monitoring of the rhinos.

Javan rhinos are known as timid animals and are very hard to find even in their habitat.

The 120,551-hectare Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten was established in 1992 by the Ministry of Forestry.

The park is home to the Javan rhinoceroses and other threatened species such as leopards, silvery gibbons and bantengs, a kind of buffalo.

The national park is divided into three major parts, including the Gunung Honje area, the Semenanjung Ujung Kulon area and the Panaitan area.

The Forestry Ministry says it is also home to 34 other mammals, five primates, 59 reptiles, 22 amphibians, 240 bird species, 72 insect species, 142 fish species and 33 coral reefs.

Antara, JG