Lorentz National Park, Indonesia

Lorentz National Park,

located in the Papua Province of Indonesia, covers 2.35 million hectares (9,073 square miles) from the tropical beaches of the Arafura Sea in the south to the Maoke Mountains in the north. This area is of world signifi cance for biodiversity as it is the only protected area contiguously encompassing land from a tropical sea ecosystem to snow topped peaks. In addition to the 630 documented bird species and 123 mammalian species located within the park, the region is also home to the short and long beaked echidna, two of the world’s three egg-laying mammals. Six birds are endemic to the snow-covered mountains including the Snow Mountain quail and robin. 26 more bird species are endemic to the central mountainous ranges and three are endemic to the southern lowlands of the region. An endangered tree-kangaroo species was only recently discovered in 1995 which makes its home in high elevations just below the tree line. Named the dingiso (Dendrolagus mbaiso), its speices name mbaiso means “the forbidden animal” to the local Moni tribe. The Maoke Mountains make up part of Papua New Guinea’s Central Highlands range and are a result of the Australian and Pacifi c tectonic plate collision. This area contains the last remaining glaciers in the range, along with its highest peak, Puncak Jaya (Carstenz Pyramid), topping 4884 m (16,023 ft.) above sea level. Just one of three equatorial regions to maintain permanent ice fi elds, the Carstenz region is significant in studying the eff ects of climate change in this part of the world. This mountain building process has created a landscape with vastly different ecological regions that encompass fi ve of World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) global 200 ecoregions including New Guinea Montane Forests, New Guinea Central Range Subalpine Grasslands, New Guinea Mangroves, and New Guinea Rivers and Streams. The lowlands are a swampy plain with expansive virgin forests divided by multiple tidal rivers and streams. Lorentz and the surrounding area is home to multiple ethnic groups who continue to maintain traditional lifestyles dating back roughly 25,000 years. In the highlands live the Amungme, Dani Barat, Dani Lembah Baliem, Moni, and Nduga, while the Asmat, Kamoro and Sempan live in the lowlands. Access to the park is diffi cult due to its remoteness and visitors must take a small aircraft to villages or trek into its northeastern borders. In addition to a park permit travelers must also have a travel permit which allows offi cials to monitor use and help reduce illegal hunting. Protection of the region was fi rst established by the Dutch Colonial Government in 1919 after the explorer Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz passed through in his 1909-10 expedition. In 1978 a Strict Natural Reserve was established and in 1997 Lorentz National Park was created by ministerial decree in Indonesia and is currently managed by the Ministry of Forestry. Illegal activities such as logging, mining, and road development are among the challenges facing park managers. One of the world’s largest copper and gold mines is located west of the park in Tembagapura, the Freeport mine. It began in the 1970s and has displaced many people of the Amungme tribe, created roads slicing through the landscape, and grown into a 4 km wide open pit. The World Heritage Outlook described Lorentz National Park as being of signifi cant concern in the 2020 Conservation Outlook due largely to new road construction, illegal logging, and hunting of the Boelen’s python. Management is claimed to be ill-prepared to deal with threats to the park due to lack of monitoring and ineff ective engagement with local tribes to appropriately identify threats. The large area and remoteness of the park keep it relatively protected geographically, but growing access from roads are a likely sign of future threats to the local environment.