Address : Kecamatan Patuk/Playen, Kabupaten Gunungkidul
Wanagama is a 600-acre protected forest which lies in Gunungkidul Regency. It is owned by state and kept by Gadjah Mada University (GMU). The main reason for why this forest was protected is because people need to find a model of how to cope with Gunungkidul soil critical condition. Aside from that, this forest functions also as an educative facility for GMU students.
Wanagama was a barren hill which was infertile and dry. The name itself was derived from two words, wana which means ‘forest’, and gama which is a contraction of ‘Gadjah Mada’. The forest construction was commenced in 1964 by Prof. Oemi Hani’in Suseno, a scholar from GMU. With fund taken from his own purse, the Kalpataru award-winner professor started to forest the hill, which was only 10 acres then. Together with a local resident, Wagiran, they planted and cultivated mulberry (morus alba) plants. This plant was chosen because the leaves could be used for silkworms fodders and are not easy to fall. Since the start, people have been involved in the effort. They were given a job of picking mulberry leaves that would later bought by the management board of the forest at 1 ringgit (Rp 250) per kilogram.
The effort turned out to be fruitful and drew Forestry Department’s attention. For that, they decided to expand the land for forestation to become 79.9 acres. From time to time, the target of forestation was expanded more and more until now, it is 600 acres wide and divided into 9 compartments.
The forest rehabilitation work is also done by applying bushing method. A team has been founded to sow as much as pioneer plants that can improve the soil and water condition, and finally, micro climate. The plants are mostly of legume family which has the ability of entrapping nitrogen in the air so that the soil can be more fertile. Heaps of biomass topsoil, which is composed of leaf decomposition, also help fertilize the soil. It is expected that we can see the fruits of this effort in the next 10-15 years.
Besides, there are 30 species of birds living in Wanagama. The birds deserve a special credit themselves as it turns out that they are the agents of sandalwood bud spreading. Sandalwoods are actually good for forestation. But back then, as the soil condition was apparently not a good place for this kind of trees, there were once only 10 of them left. Several years on, Oemi was surprised by the emergence of new sandalwood buds in random locations. It was all thanks to the birds that ate sandalwood seeds and brought them out again when they defecated.
Wanagama Forest is a preservation area, tourism object, and also the local people’s economical resources. The bushing method has been adopted and modeled by other infertile areas. The Faculty of Forestry of Gadjah Mada University as the keeper of Wanagama, is currently rearranging the forest in order to be more attractive for tourists.
Wanagama Forest is rich with flora and fauna. Various plants from different areas are found here. Among them are acacia tress which are commonly used for making papers, eucalyptus which is the basic material of eucalyptus oil, pine trees which are plenty in Sumatra, ebony trees from Sulawesi, mulberry, wangi trees, and also hardwood trees. In total, Wanagama has been a habitat for 40 species of animals and over 1000 species of plants.
In Wanagama, we will feel like we are standing in a miniature of forest in which there are so many kinds of plants. Lines of trees are everywhere as you are walking through the green Wanagama areas. Acacia trees, from which papers pulp are made, are the first to welcome you. Then you will find the eucalyptus trees before the pines (pinus merkusii). The latter are plenty in the central part of Sumatra. Pines in this forest are quite shading if you are there in blazing midday heat.
People’s farmlands stretch before the forest. As you walk in, huge trees will make you feel small at an ironically infertile karst area. You will be more impressed if you come when the flamboyant flowers are flourishing. Amazingly, those plants stand upon a very thin soil.
Wanagama has one tree that makes this forest famous. It was a hardwood tree planted by Prince Charles himself in his visit in 1989. The tree is known as Jati Londo. People say back then when the tree was only 1 m high, Jati Londo weirdly withered when Prince Charles got divorced with Lady Diana. Whether there was a correlation between the two occurrences, nobody knows.
The route that Prince Charles took at that time has become tourists’ favorite now. The route starts from Wisma Cendana and ends in Bukit Hell.
Night time in the forest is actually enjoyable too. At night, you can hear the sounds of crickets and other insects without feeling scared. Water and electricity are available there. For those who like to get closer with nature, there is a camping ground.
As an area of ecological tourism, Wanagama can be a good place for students to learn about trees. This completes the missing link of Gunungkidul tourism. The forest is close to other main tourism objects of Gunungkidul such as Baron Beach, Krakal Beach, Kukup Beach, Bribin Cave, Wot Lemah, and Lawa Cave.
Wanagama Forest is situated in parts of four villages in Patuk and Playen District, Gunungkidul Regency. From Yogyakarta, Wanagama is 35 km away to the south.
To get to Wanagama Forest, you can take a bus heading for Wonosari from Giwangan Bus Station in Yogyakarta and get off at Gading Village. At Gading T-intersection, you should take the road on your right. The road is in a good condition. However, if you do not take your own vehicle, you must continue your trip on foot or by ojek (motorcycle taxi) because there is no bus or cab to take you from the intersection to Wanagama.
The entrance ticket is Rp 2,000 and there is an additional charge of Rp 1,000 if you want to take picture inside the forest (June 2010).
F. Accommodations and Other Facilities
There is a hall in the forest that can be used for holding events or taking a rest. There is also a camping ground with complete facilities such as clean water, lavatory, electricity, and security guard.
In Gading Village, you can also find Wanagama I Educational Forest, which is an artificial forest set up at the bank of Oya River for educational purpose. It provides a model for resourceful forest development as well in order to overcome barrenness. This part of forest is 80 acres wide and kept by Faculty of Forestry of Gadjah Mada University. Students and those interested in forestry matters will find it very useful to visit this forest. Camping ground is available in this forest with 200 people capacity range.
Text: Adi Tri Pramono
Photo(s): Collection of Jogjatrip.com
Translation: Reza Daffi
(Primary data and various sources)