Zamrud

Zamrud National Park is a lowland peat swamp forest reserve in Siak Regency, Riau Province, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, covering 31,480 hectares (about 315 km²). ^[1] Established as a national park on 22 July 2016 under Ministerial Decree SK No. 350/Menlhk/Setjen/PLA.2/5/2016, it was carved from a former wildlife reserve to protect one of the region's most important remaining blocks of intact peat swamp surrounded by oil palm and industrial plantations, making it the third national park in Riau Province after Bukit Tigapuluh and Tesso Nilo. ^[2] The park is centered on two large blackwater lakes, Danau Pulau Besar and Danau Bawah, set within a mosaic of waterlogged forest. ^[3] These tea-colored lakes and their forested catchments make Zamrud a refuge for endangered wildlife and a critical store of carbon-rich peat in a heavily converted landscape.

Zamrud's peat swamp and lake ecosystem supports a notable array of threatened species. The blackwater lakes and swamp channels are habitat for the false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii), a slender-snouted, fish-eating crocodilian closely associated with Sumatran peat swamps. ^[1] The forests provide cover for the critically endangered Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and other lowland mammals including sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) and Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus). ^[2] The lakes hold the Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus), a highly protected ornamental fish, alongside other native freshwater fishes; 38 bird species have been recorded across the park, including 12 protected species. ^[3]

The park is dominated by tropical peat swamp forest, a specialized wetland ecosystem growing on deep, waterlogged peat soils that remain inundated for much of the year. This forest is adapted to acidic, nutrient-poor, oxygen-starved conditions, supporting trees with buttressed and stilt roots together with a distinctive community of swamp-adapted plants. ^[1] The vegetation fringes and surrounds the twin lakes, grading into open blackwater habitats stained dark by tannins leached from decaying organic matter. As a relatively intact peat swamp within a landscape largely converted to plantations, Zamrud preserves a vegetation type that is increasingly rare across Sumatra and vital for both biodiversity and carbon storage.

Zamrud occupies the low-lying coastal lowlands of eastern Sumatra, where flat, poorly drained terrain has allowed thick deposits of peat to accumulate over thousands of years. Rather than rock-based features, the park's defining geology is its deep peat substrate, formed from the slow buildup of partially decomposed plant material under permanently waterlogged conditions. The twin lakes, Danau Pulau Besar (2,416 hectares) and Danau Bawah (360 hectares), are shallow blackwater bodies whose dark, acidic waters reflect the surrounding peat. ^[1] This waterlogged peatland holds enormous quantities of stored carbon, and its hydrology — keeping the peat wet — is fundamental to the stability of the ecosystem and to preventing the fires that threaten degraded peatlands.

The park lies in the humid equatorial lowlands of Sumatra and experiences a hot, wet tropical climate throughout the year. Temperatures remain consistently high with little seasonal variation, while humidity stays elevated, sustaining the waterlogged peat swamp. Rainfall is abundant and supports the high water levels essential to the ecosystem, though the region experiences wetter and relatively drier periods through the year. During drier spells, lowered water tables can leave peat vulnerable to fire, a recurring threat across Riau's lowlands, making the maintenance of the park's natural water levels important for both the forest and regional air quality. ^[1]

The lands surrounding Zamrud lie within Siak Regency, a part of Riau with a long history tied to the Siak Sultanate and to communities that have traditionally used the region's rivers, swamps, and forests. In recent decades the broader landscape has been transformed by extensive oil palm and pulpwood plantations, leaving the peat swamp around the lakes as one of the last large natural areas. ^[1] Local livelihoods in the area have long included fishing in the lakes and use of forest resources. The park's creation reflects an effort to balance these histories of use with the conservation of a shrinking natural wetland amid one of Indonesia's most intensively developed plantation provinces.

Zamrud was designated a national park on 22 July 2016 under Ministry of Environment and Forestry Decree SK No. 350/Menlhk/Setjen/PLA.2/5/2016, signed 4 May 2016, elevating the long-standing protection of the area's twin lakes and surrounding peat swamp, which had previously been managed as the Suaka Margasatwa Danau Pulau Besar Danau Bawah wildlife sanctuary. ^[1] The designation was significant because it created a fully protected national park within Riau, a province otherwise dominated by oil palm and timber production, drawing attention to the conservation value of its remaining peatlands. Management has focused on safeguarding the lakes, the false gharial population, and the peat swamp forest against encroachment, drainage, and fire. As a relatively young park, Zamrud represents a notable conservation gain in a region that has lost much of its natural forest.

The centerpiece of Zamrud is its pair of blackwater lakes, Danau Pulau Besar and Danau Bawah, whose still, tannin-dark waters set against surrounding swamp forest form the park's most striking scenery. ^[1] Boat travel on the lakes is the principal way to experience the park, offering opportunities to watch waterbirds, glimpse basking false gharials along the margins, and take in the quiet, mirror-like expanses of water. The swamp forest fringing the lakes harbors arowana and other wildlife prized by naturalists and anglers alike. With its remote, watery character, Zamrud appeals to visitors seeking birdwatching, wildlife observation, and the distinctive atmosphere of a Sumatran peat swamp wetland.

Zamrud is a remote wetland park with modest visitor infrastructure, reached through Siak Regency in Riau, approximately 120 km from Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru. ^[1] Access typically involves overland travel from regional centers followed by river or lake transport by motorized wooden boat (pompong) to reach the lakes and swamp forest, as much of the park is only navigable by water. Facilities within the park are limited, and visits generally require permits from the park authority (BBKSDA Riau). Because of its waterlogged terrain and conservation focus, the park is oriented toward low-impact activities such as boat-based wildlife viewing rather than developed tourism, and trips usually require advance planning and coordination with park management.

Conservation at Zamrud centers on protecting a rare intact peat swamp and its twin lakes within a Riau landscape heavily converted to plantations. ^[1] The park safeguards habitat for the false gharial, Sumatran tiger, Asian arowana, and a diverse waterbird community, while its deep peat stores large amounts of carbon whose release through drainage or fire would have global climate implications. Key management challenges include preventing encroachment, illegal fishing and hunting, and peatland fires, as well as maintaining the natural hydrology that keeps the peat wet. Sustaining Zamrud's ecological integrity depends on careful water management and cooperation with surrounding communities to keep this wetland refuge functioning amid intense regional development.