Arenga obtusifolia Mart.

The Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP) is on the Sunda Straits at the extreme southwestern tip of Java. It covers the Ujung Kulon peninsula, several offshore islands and the volcanic nature reserve of the island of Krakatau. The National Park inscribed on the World Heritage List under Natural Criteria in 1981, is one of the last remaining extensive stands of lowland rainforest in Java, and the last main habitat of the Critically Endangered (CR)’ Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus). The Javan rhino is a browsing herbivore. It eats shoots, twigs, young foliage and fallen fruit. The Javan rhino rarely eats grasses and consumes a wide range of plant species and plant types. Within peninsula UKNP, the greatest threat to the Javan Rhinoceros lies in the gradual reduction of food-plant resources due to forest closure and invasion of the langkap - the sugar palm Arenga obtusifolia on Rhino habitat. The spread and dominance of A. obtusifolia has negative impacts on undergrowth including seedling regeneration because of shading and poor light conditions caused by the canopy of the palm. Langkap grow as tall as 16m (50 ft) in height and have a clumping habit of growth.An estimated 18,000 ha of the Ujung Kulon peninsula now is occupied by the palm. Since 2003, studies have been

Reference:

Global Invasive Species Database (GISD), 2011. Reference page. Arenga obtusifolia Mart.

Photo credit: Palmpedia [link]

underway to find an effective way of controlling this invasive species. Direct injections with RoundUp herbicide have proven to effectively kill the palm without leaving harmful chemical traces in the soil. There are ongoing plans to remove the Arenga palm from larger areas in order to study the succession of rhino food plant species. Effectiveness of new growth of food plants and whether rhinos use these new feeding areas will also be determined.

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