Muara Angke Wildlife Preserve, Wildlife refuge in North Jakarta, Indonesia.
Muara Angke Wildlife Preserve is a mangrove conservation area at Kapuk Muara, Penjaringan, on Jakarta's north coast, bordered by the Angke River and the Pantai Indah Kapuk housing estate. Its flat dark water is edged by a low stone bank topped with a band of dense green trees and shrubs; two small wooden boats with curved ends float near the bank. Only about 10% of the 25.02 ha is still covered by tree vegetation, the rest being open marsh with grasses, reeds and water hyacinth.
Muara Angke was designated a nature reserve by the Dutch East Indies government on 17 June 1939, covering 15.04 ha. By the 1960s the reserve had grown to 1,344.62 ha, but environmental damage reduced it; in 1998 its status changed to wildlife sanctuary under Forestry and Plantations Ministerial Decree No. 097/Kpts-II/1998, with an area of 25.02 ha.
Local residents call the long-tailed macaques here kra; the groups feed on young leaves and the fruit of the pidada tree (Sonneratia caseolaris), and the seeds they excrete help spread the mangrove forest. The reserve is also listed by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area on Java.
The entrance faces the Niaga Mediterania shophouse complex on the eastern side of Pantai Indah Kapuk, at the end of Muara Karang Raya street; the reserve is separated from the Muara Angke fishing settlement only by the Angke river. The easiest approach is via Mega Mall Pluit, reachable by public transport from Grogol or Jakarta Kota over Jembatan Tiga. Much of the interior is open marsh and shallow water, so expect muddy, sun-exposed walking.
The Javan coucal, a globally endangered species with a very limited range, lives here, and the milky stork breeds on nearby Rambut Island, the only breeding site in Java. BirdLife International lists the reserve as an Important Bird Area for Java.
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