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ndonesia, home to two of the world’s five rhinoceros species, is facing a hard time in conserving the endangered animals with a drop in birth rates, a pressing issue coupled with the long-standing threats of habitat loss and human pressures.

The Forestry Ministry said the breeding program had still not boosted the rhino population despite the government’s target to expand it by three percent per year.

“To date, we have not been able to record any rhinos give birth in the wild,” Harry Santoso, director of biodiversity at Forestry Ministry told reporters.

“If the trend is not reversed, we could lose this rare rhino species to the threat of habitat loss or poaching.”

The ministry said the reasons for the rhinos’ failed pregnancies remained unclear.

“There seems to be a case of self-abortion in rhino,” Harry said.

Indonesia’s two rhino species are the Javan rhino and the Sumatran rhino.

Javan rhinos, confined to Ujung Kulon national park, number between 38 and 65, according to report from the ministry.

The population of Sumatran rhinos, which is spread across Gunung Leuser, Way Kambas and Bukit Bariasan national parks, was estimated to be between 210 and 275 as of 2006.

The ministry said that prior to 2006, the Sumatran rhino population stood at between 420 and 875. “But, there have been no increases to the population for the last 25 years ago,” he said.

The country’s two rhino species are both listed as critically endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species.

The government lists rhinos, along with orangutans, tigers and elephants as umbrella species, meaning that the loss of the species would negatively affect the all species in the ecosystem including humans.

The government has issued a five-year action plan to Indonesia’s rhinos from 2007 to 2012.

The plan states the goal of expanding by 20 percent the population of Javan rhinos in the wild and by 40 percent the population of wild Sumatran rhinos.

It would also establish a new Javan rhino population through translocation after securing an additional 400,000 hectares habitat.

The plan of action also stipulated that the government would also set up a Javan rhino sanctuary for existing on-site conservation programs.

Harry said that for conservation aims, it was urgent to raise public awareness to protect the remaining rhinos.

Indonesia rhino ambassador Mega Datulung admitted public awareness on the plight of the rhino was still poor, making poaching serious threat for the species.

“Campaigning for rhino conservation has so far been hit and miss. I hope it can continue because people are unaware of the rhinos’ plight,” Mega, who has held the title of rhino ambassador since 2007, said.