Belantara Tourism Boat to Take Tourists to Experience the Beauty of Berbak Sembilang National Park
The Sembilang sector of Berbak Sembilang National Park is a representative of the peat swamp forests, freshwater forests and riparian forests in South Sumatra. Giant ferns (Angiopteris evecta), mangrove palms (Nypa fruticans), Australian pine trees (Casuarina equisetifolia), pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius), Portia trees (Thespesia populnea), Nibung palm trees (Oncosperma tigillarium), jelutong (Dyera costulata), Mengaris (Koompassia excelsa), and gelam tikus ( Syzygium inophylla) are plants that can be found in land and waters in this area.
Besides its marine resources, such as fishes and shrimps off the shores of the Sembilang estuary, it is also an area with ecological wealth (flora and fauna). It's home to where various species coexist such as the Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants, tapirs, gibbons, Asian golden cats, sambar deers, crocodiles, monitor lizards, giant softshell turtles, Irrawaddy dolphins, various species of birds and of course the Sembilang fish (Eel-tailed catfish). Tens of thousands of Siberian migrant birds can be seen in Sembilang.
In the spirit of the 2018 Asian Games held in Palembang, South Sumatra and to promote tourism in South Sumatra, with the initiative of South Sumatra's government, Belantara Foundation built a "Musi River - Sembilang Tourism Boat." It was built specially to promote the Berbak Sembilang biosphere reserve, which was officially recently designated into the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO at the 30th International Coordinating Council (ICC) MAB Program (Man and The Biosphere) held in Palembang, South Sumatra, on July 23-27, 2018.
Inaugurated directly by the South Sumatra Governor, Mr. H. Alex Noerdin on August 9, 2018, in Palembang, the Belantara Tourism Boat is expected to contribute to tourism in South Sumatra Province, especially the Sembilang sector of Berbak Sembilang National Park. It also aims to add value to the area, so to be recognized by the general public and attract interest in participating in conservation efforts of natural resources in the area.
With tourism, people would hopefully see nature's beauty and be called upon to maintain the integrity and sustainability of the tourism objects, such as the natural beauty attractions, historic buildings and heritages, as well as traditional cultures. The ceremonial event of Belantara's Tour Boat launching was marked by the inscription signing by the South Sumatra Governor, H. Alex Noerdin, followed by the ribbon cutting ceremony, and proceeded to the embarkation onto the boat's deck to conduct a trial trip as the end to Belantara's Tour Boat inauguration ceremony.
