the background: Bali Barat
My first is a world famous South East Asian island resort island. My second is home to a beautiful (and very endangered) bird species. My third is the site for an ambitious collaborative WWF project.
What am I?
Bali Barat National Park, squeezed at the western tip of the island of Bali and covering just over 19,000 hectares, is in places strangely reminiscent of more austral landscapes.
Here, a variety of habitat types meet the eye: in parts bare or semi-forested, in others covered by some jungle, the area stands out as a kaleidoscope of landscapes all merged into one pocket park. The Park affords magnificent views across the strait to Bali's greater neighbour, Java island, where three volcano peaks tower.
This small corner of Bali is a natural haven from the tourist throngs that have transmogrified the south part of the island.
Local wildlife
Bali supports the last surviving population of the Bali mynah bird, which is found nowhere else but in Bali Barat National Park. Waterbirds include the great frigatebird, the roseate tern, the common tern, and a variety of migratory shorebirds such as the little ringed plover and the black-tailed godwit.
On the ground, the National Park is home to a variety of mammals including the leopard cat, palm civet, crab-eating macaque, deer, the Indian muntjac, Malayan pangolin, Malayan porcupine, and banteng (a cattle species). Reptiles include the hawksbill marine turtle, the monitor lizard, the python and mabouya.
There are mangroves, palms, and the buyuk, which grows in the saltwater marshes of the Perancak River. This plant prevents shore erosion and provides habitat for fish, birds, and monkeys.
What lies under the waves
Bali Barat's greatest treasure is invisible on the dry land. Below the surface of the sea lie seagrass fields (about 40 hectares) and of course the National Park's pride and joy: about 800 hectares of coral reef. A respectable 110 coral species are found in the National Park waters, along with at least 226 reef-related fish species flitting around. For such a small park, these are impressive figures in terms of diversity.
The people and the place
The far western part of Bali is the most heavily Javanized part of the island. Especially closer to western tip, Balinese culture gives way in places to mosques, and nasi padang restaurants. This is also the least populated area of Bali, and four out of five inhabitants here eke a living from farming or fishing.
