Bali Barat

West Bali National Park occupies the north-western tip of the island of Bali and is the island's only national park. It protects some 190 km² taking in lowland monsoon forest, savannah, mangroves, seagrass meadows and coral reefs, as well as the small island of Menjangan, one of the best-known diving destinations in Bali.

Its reason for being is a single species. The Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi), a white bird with a blue mask and an erectile crest, is the island's only endemic vertebrate and one of the most threatened birds on the planet: capture for the cagebird trade brought it below ten wild individuals at the start of this century. The park is its last natural stronghold, and its recovery has rested on captive breeding programmes, successive releases and intensive surveillance against poaching, with mixed results but a general trend of improvement.

Alongside the starling, the park is home to rusa deer, long-tailed macaque, wild boar and a notable forest birdlife, and its waters are a turtle nesting area. Mount Patas and several Hindu temples of local importance also lie within its territory. The tourist pressure of Bali and agricultural expansion around its perimeter are its main threats.