Located on the eastern arm of Central Sulawesi, Morowali Nature Reserve consists of a 225,000 ha protected area containing almost completely intact primary forest. The north of the reserve is dominated by steep mountains reaching over 2600 m in height, but the terrain in the south is much less rugged and terminates in a wide coastal plain with natural lakes and swamp forest.

This region, together with much of eastern Central Sulawesi, comprises some of the most extensive formations of ultrabasic rock in the world. This results in soils which have a severe deficiency of important plant nutrients and instead contain toxic concentrations of certain heavy metals. Consequently, ultrabasic forest areas have largely been spared from intensive agriculture and logging due to the poor conditions for planting and lack of valuable timber trees.

The indigenous Wana people live throughout the reserve and consist of about 600 families that follow a traditional lifestyle. Their subsistence is based on swidden and shifting agriculture, hunting, and harvesting of forest products such as rattan and damar.

To view photos taken during my November 2006 trip to Morowali Nature Reserve, click here.

Current Status
This nature reserve was first established in March 1980, but although it is a completely protected area there are no currently maintained facilities or management staff. It is possible that in the near future Morowali may become a national park, which would lead to funding for proper management but also probably result in the majority of lowland areas being subsequently zoned for logging. Due to the relatively intact indigenous culture of the Wana people, Morowali has recently been proposed as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

How to Get There
The reserve is approachable from several directions, but the easiest is to take a 2-hour boat ride from Kolonodale to Tambayoli, which is a settlement at the western end of the park. It is possible to charter your own boat to access other parts of the park, but this is much more expensive.

Kolonodale can be reached by bus from Palu or by a 6-hour boat ride from Baturube. Alternatively, to reach Kolonodale from Macassar or Rantepao it is necessary to first take a bus to Soroako, cross Lake Matano via boat, and then take a small bus from the village of Nuha.

At the time of this writing, there is only a very poor road from Poso passing through Kecematan Tojo to Tambayoli, but it is not recommended since an expensive 4WD vehicle is required, and it is impassable during wet weather. A new road is planned from Baturube but this is not expected to be completed until 2008.

From Mando there are several flights per week to Luwuk, but travellers with more time on their hands can take the overland route to Gorontalo and then board a ferry to Pagaimanan. From Luwuk it is a 6-hour bus ride to Baturube from which it is possible either to take a boat to Kolonodale or enter the eastern end of the park near the Tokala Mountains.

When to Go
The best time to visit is in the dry season (September to November). During the rainy season (May to June) the Tambayoli valley is sometimes prone to flooding, and the rivers are more difficult to cross.

What to See
Despite having a great diversity of wildlife which includes all the larger endemic mammals such as Babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis), Anoa (Bubalus quarlesi), and Sulawesi Civet (Macrogalidia musschenbroekii), spotting animals in the forest is relatively difficult. Most species are very wary of people due to continuous hunting pressure from the local inhabitants.

Over 170 bird species have been recorded from Morowali, including many endemics. Notable species include the Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo), Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea), Ornate Lory (Trichoglossus ornatus), all five endemic kingfishers, and 18 species of forest pigeons and doves. The Tambayoli valley is a pleasant and easy place to spot numerous raptors, water birds including the Wooly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus), and nightjars at dusk.

Reptiles include the bizarre Sail-fin Lizard (Hydrosaurus amboinensis), and huge 9 meter-long Reticulated Pythons (Python reticulatus).

A wealth of fascinating plants can also be seen in the reserve, ranging from massive Agathis (damar) trees to rare orchids and seven species of Nepenthes pitcher plants, including the rare and beautiful N. hamata (shown below).

Practicalities
Despite the great potential for nature tourism, Morowali sees few foreign visitors and there are currently no developed facilities available. Guides can be found in Kolonodale, Tambayoli, or Morowali village, but you must be well-versed in Bahasa Indonesia as few of them speak English. Simple accomodation can be obtained at any village or town, usually by making arrangements with the kepala desa (head of the town).

The office of Yayasan Sahabat Morowali (“Friends of Morowali”) in Kolonodale is an invaluable resource of information on various treks and practicalities about the reserve. They also have a small library of excellent books and research papers on Morowali.

It is required to obtain a police permit before entering the reserve, even though the borders are not enforced. The closest police kantor for this is in Kolonodale, but due to the infrequency of visitors they don’t always stock blank forms (I was once told by the officer in charge to travel 2 days by bus to the next nearest office to get a new form). It is thus a better idea to obtain the permit in Palu or Manado beforehand if possible.

Hiking is generally very pleasant if one follows the well-established trails used by the Wana, but can get strenuous on the mountains. When trekking it is most convenient to stay in Wana huts or jungle shelters, but tents must be carried when attempting some of the more remote peaks.

Leeches can only be found on some of the wetter mountains. Malaria is a small probem in the Tambayoli area. If you are concerned, you might want to consider prophylactics.

Resources
Yayasan Sahabat Morowali (Friends of Morowali)
Jl. Yos Sudarso No. 36
Kolonodale 94671, Sulawesi Tengah
Mr. Jabar Lahadji
Tel: +62-81354447868
Email: jabarlahadji@yahoo.com or elangmulya@yahoo.com

Web Links
A study on sustainable harvests by traditional Wana Hunters
United Nations Environment Programme review of Morowali Reserve

References:

Whitten, A.J., Mustafa, M. and Henderson, G.S. (1987). The Ecology of Sulawesi. Gadjah Mada University Press, Yogykarta. 777 pp.

Wasur is a large national park (4000+ sq. km) located in the southeast corner of the province near the Papua New Guinea border and is the only protected area which covers extensive lowland habitats. This is a region faunistically known as the Trans-Fly and is a relatively dry zone characterized by its open monsoon forest, grasslands, and swamps. Many of the species found here, such as the Agile Wallaby (Macropus agilis) and multitudes of waterbirds are also found in northern Australia.

Most of the land is completely flat, the only topographical features being huge termite mounds, some of which reach over 3 meters in height. During the wet season much of the savannah becomes inundated with water making travel difficult except by dugout canoe. The great Rawa Biru (‘Blue Swamp’) lies at the center of the park and encompasses a vast flooded plain of reeds and waterways. Here New Guinea Crocodiles (Crocodylus novaeguineae) patrol the waters for prey, and there is an abundance of migratory waterbirds.

Although seldom visited, Wasur has long been regarded as a wildlife-watcher’s paradise, as viewing animals and birds is particularly easy due to the open countryside. However, it appears that in recent years the abundance of large animals has drastically declined, and I was shocked by the amount of hunting I witnessed during my recent visit. Although the management program allows for the sustainable utilization of these resources in order to maintain the traditional lifestyles of people living within the park’s boundaries, illegal and excessive exploitation such as quarrying of sand and hunting for profit have become commonplace and measures are clearly required to maintain the integrity of this unique reserve.

To view photos taken during my 2006 trip to Wasur National Park, click here.

A visit to New Guinea offers one of the last chances to glimpse a passing world, which until relatively recently remained untarnished from the touch of western technology. The vast unexplored forests, swamps, and mountain ranges remain to this day one of the few places on earth that can still be described as truly wild. Any trip into the interior is an adventure fraught with the difficulties of travel but with the exciting reward and promise of encounters with unusual wildlife and charming people.

As a naturalist, my interest in New Guinea lies in the wealth of biodiversity on the island, which from a Southeast Asian perspective is unique in the archipelago. Lying to the east of Wallace’s Line, the fauna is distinctly Australasian in nature, with countless endemic species. In contrast to other large islands in Indonesia, the forests of New Guinea are also almost completely intact and pristine, and many other habitats remain relatively undisturbed by development. When I first flew over the island in 1994 I was awestruck by the vast size of the unbroken forests and lofty mountains which seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon, and I have been captivated by the land ever since.

New Guinea is the second largest island in the world (after Greenland) and covers over 792,000 square kilometers. The interior of the island is composed of extremely rugged terrain, the prime feature being a central cordillera of mountains running east to west which have formed from the collision of the Australian and Pacific plates. In numerous places these mountains exceed 4000 meters in height, and Puncak Jaya, at 4884 meters, is the highest peak in all Southeast Asia and the locality of one of only three equatorial glaciers in the world.

The western half of the island is a province of Indonesia, and referred to under various names including Irian Jaya, Tanah Papua, or Propinsi Papua. Although this huge province occupies over 20% of the land area of Indonesia, it is home to only 1% of the population, and not surprisingly is also the least developed territory. There is an astonishing diversity of native cultures, with several hundred distinct languages being spoken.

Familiar Southeast Asian animals such as wild cats, monkeys, civets, and deer are completely absent (except where introduced), and all of the larger land mammals in New Guinea are marsupials, comprising a number of families including kangaroos, wallabies, cuscuses, possums, and bandicoots. Although some species are shared with northern Australia, many are unique to the island including tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus), and a number of Phalanger species. There are also two species of monotremes, or egg-laying mammals, the Short-beaked and Long-beaked Echidnas, the latter of which is endemic. Placental mammals include a huge diversity of native rats, mice, and bats, many of which are endemic to New Guinea. Giant fruit bats (Pteropus spp.) are often observed at dusk flying over the forest canopy in great numbers. Many species are hunted for food and have declined in numbers near populated areas. New discoveries are still being made, and it was only recently that an entirely new species of tree kangaroo, the Dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso) was found in the remote highlands of the interior.

New Guinea is famous for being home to some of the most beautiful and bizarre birds in the world. Of over 700 native species, an incredible 101 are endemic to the island. The list includes the glorious birds-of-paradise, bowerbirds, crowned pigeons, and a great assortment of parrots. The largest native land animal is the flightless cassowary, of which there are 3 species, which can reach up to 1.5 meters in height and have a nasty reputation. In contrast to islands to the west such as Borneo and Sumatra, New Guinea’s bird fauna is distinctly Australasian and has no woodpeckers, barbets, pheasants, trogons, or bulbuls.

With over 200 species of frogs recorded so far, it is a wonder that new species are still being discovered today, yet there are doubtless many more to be found. There is also a diverse assemblage of lizards including skinks, geckos, agamids (including the extraordinary Hypsilurus, shown below), and monitors, among which the Emerald Tree Monitor (Varanus prasinus) is perhaps most well known. Some species of snake such as the Death Adder (Acanthopsis antarcticus) and the Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) are extremely poisonous, whilst others such as the Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis) are highly sought after by collectors.

An astonishing diversity of insects occurs in the jungles of Papua, including many beautiful species. Some, such as the giant birdwing butterflies, are renowned for their value on the collector’s market and are now being reared in specialized nurseries. Many species of colorful native beetles including Scarabaeidae and Lucanidae are also collected and sold in souvenir shops.

In contrast with its largely Australasian fauna, the flora of New Guinea surprisingly has its closest affinities with Southeast Asia. Some families of plants that attract notable attention here include the orchids, of which the genera Dendrobium and Bulbophyllum are particularly diverse. An overwhelming diversity of Rhododendrons occurs throughout the mountainous areas with many new beautifully flowered species awaiting formal description.

Although less diverse than on Borneo or Sumatra, Nepenthes pitcher plants are nevertheless common in some areas and there are a handful of endemic species. A few such as N. klossii and N. paniculata grow in highland and ridge-top mossy forest, and others such as N. lamii extend into the alpine zone on the higher mountains. At least two species, N. treubiana and N. insignis occur on lowland limestone cliffs, but the latter is also frequently an epiphyte. Both N. neoguineensis and N. papuana have been found to grow on ultramafic hills, but they also occur elsewhere. There are doubtless undescribed species awaiting discovery in the vast network of mountains.

The naturalist and explorer J. L. Gressitt once wrote of the island:

New Guinea is a fantastic island, unique and fascinating. It is an area of incredible varieties of geomorphology, biota, peoples, languages, history, traditions, and cultures. Diversity is its prime characteristic, whatever the subject of interest. To a biogeographer it is tantalizing, as well as confusing or frustrating when trying to determine the history of its biota. To an ecologist, and to all biologists, it is a happy hunting ground of endless surprises and unanswered questions. To a conservationist it is like a dream come true, a “flash-back” of a few centuries, as well as a challenge for the future.

Suggested Reading
Mammals of New Guinea by Tim Flannery.
Birds of New Guinea by Bruce Beehler et. al.
The National Parks and Other Wild Places of Indonesia by Janet Cochrane.
Irian Jaya, Indonesian New Guinea, a Periplus Adventure Guide, by Kal Muller.
Biogeography and Ecology of New Guinea by J. L. Gressitt.

To view photos taken during my 2006 trip to West Papua, click here.