The Ramsar Secretariat is delighted to announce that Indonesia has designated Pulau Rambut Wildlife Reserve (90 hectares, 05°58’28”S 106°41’35”E) as it sixth Wetland of International Importance. As summarized by Ramsar’s Saber Masoomi, the wildlife sanctuary, located on a small atoll reef island northwest of Jakarta City, has a tropical climate and comprises several wetland habitat types, such as coral reefs, intertidal flats, mangrove forests, lagoons and seasonal freshwater marshes.
As one of the important chain of wetlands along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, the site is an important transit station for waterbirds especially from October to December, when they migrate from the northern hemisphere to Australia. The site supports three internationally threatened bird species, especially the vulnerable Milky Stork (Mycteria cinerea), with one of the biggest breeding colonies of this species in Indonesia. The site’s 15 mangrove species form a complex community that provides breeding habitat for many waterbirds, including the Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger), Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), and ardeidae such as the Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax).
Small scale traditional fishery is practiced as daily support for local communities but there are no people or villages within the site itself. Access is allowed through a small jetty for small boats with the capacity of about 30 persons. A tower observation hide has been built as well as wooden boardwalks so that visitors do not damage the natural wetlands on the site.