TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Pressures on habitat remain high, govt says
A recent tiger attack in Aceh that left one resident dead and video footage of a bulldozer destroying protected forestland in Riau show that Indonesia’s endangered animals are facing an increasing loss of habitat in Sumatra, officials and activists said Saturday
Change Size
A
recent tiger attack in Aceh that left one resident dead and video footage of a bulldozer destroying protected forestland in Riau show that Indonesia’s endangered animals are facing an increasing loss of habitat in Sumatra, officials and activists said Saturday.
Both Aceh and Riau are home to several endangered species, including the Sumatran tiger.
The incidents came as nations, including Indonesia, are gathered in Nagoya, Japan for international talks on protection of biodiversity.
The Nagoya talks, held from Oct. 11 to Oct. 29, will cover several subjects, including ways to protect biodiversity and methods of preventing the loss of natural habitats.
The Forestry Ministry reported that four Sumatran tigers were seen outside their normal habitat last Monday when a farmer was attacked in Tapak Tuan village, South Aceh.
On the same day, WWF Indonesia released video footage that captured a bulldozer levelling trees in the protected Bukit Batabuh forest in Riau.
The area being bulldozed has traditionally been used as a corridor by Sumatran tigers connecting the Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve and Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, making it a crucial zone for tiger conservation.
“They [tigers] are forced to roam beyond the forest because of rising pressure on their habitat,” Forestry Ministry director general of forest protection and nature conservation Darori said.
Massive land clearing by illegal oil palm plantations and land conversion by local farmers were still the main cause of loss of habitat in Indonesia, Darori said.
The ministry has designated six provinces, including Riau and Aceh, for pilot projects to combat illegal forest conversions.
“We will launch integrated law enforcement efforts that will include officials from the National Police, the Attorney General’s Office and the Environment Ministry to apprehend the owners of illegal plantations and to seek out others guilty of committing environmental crimes,” he said.
Indonesia’s tiger population has plummeted in recent decades because of human encroachment, which has resulted an approximate loss of nine-tenths of their natural habitat. Poaching is another major problem, as tiger products are still a lucrative black market commodity.
Estimated to number 100,000 at the dawn of the 20th century, the number of wild tigers today is estimated to be less than 3,200 worldwide.
