Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park is located on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, in the province of South East Sulawesi. The park was established in 1989 and covers an area of 1,050 square kilometers. It goes from sea level up to 981 meters high. The park includes the Aopa peat swamp, which is the largest in Sulawesi. It is recognized as an important wetland worldwide.

Flora and fauna

The park has many types of plant life, including mountain rainforests, mangrove forests, coastal forests, savanna, and freshwater swamp forests. Scientists have identified 323 plant species in the park, such as Borassus flabellifer, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Callicarpa celebica, Cratoxylum formosum, and Metrosideros petiolata.

The park is home to animals like the Babirusa, both species of endangered Anoa (small water buffaloes), and 155 bird species. Of these birds, 37 are found only in Sulawesi. Examples include the maleo, lesser adjutant, Asian woolly-necked stork, collared kingfisher, Yellow-crested cockatoo, vinous-breasted sparrowhawk, Sulawesi black pigeon, and Nicobar pigeon. The park also supports a group of 170 endangered milky storks. Primates living in the park include the spectral tarsier and the vulnerable booted macaque.

The park protects 11 reptile species and 20 fish species. It is also an important place for young crabs, fish, and prawns to grow.

Human habitation

The area of the park has been home to the Moronene people for many years. During the time when the Netherlands controlled the region, there were seven villages located within the area that is now a national park. In the 1950s, many Moronene villagers left the area and moved to other parts of the island. However, starting in the 1970s, some people began returning to the area. Local officials questioned whether these returning individuals were descendants of the Moronene people and whether they had the right to live on the land. After the national park was established, local authorities made several attempts to remove people living in the park. In 1997, security forces destroyed 175 homes. The next year, 88 more homes were burned down. In 2001, a third action occurred, during which 100 additional homes were destroyed.

Conservation and threats

The national park was established in 1989 and was given the status of a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 2011. Threats to the park include illegal logging, poaching, and the collection of eggs.