The population of Sumatran rhinoceros, a critically endangered species, has declined 50 percent in the last 10 years, says an official.

The decline is said to be significant compared to that of the Javan rhino, the population of which has been relatively stable since the 1980s.

"The Sumatran rhino is in critical condition," the head of forestry manpower counseling and development (BP2SDMK) at the Environment and Forestry Ministry, Tachrir Fathoni, said during a workshop on rhino and tiger conservation on Wednesday.

The Sumatran rhino, the population of which is less than 100, live in places such as Way Kambas National Park, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Leuser National Park in Aceh and in West Kutai in East Kalimantan.

International Rhino Foundation country representative Sectionov said that rhino conservation encountered problems in breeding as a result of the animal'€™s scattered locations as well as lack of habitat management, among other things.

"Sometimes they are scattered in several locations and so don't interact with each other. That makes it hard for them to breed, not to mention that they are solitary animals," he told The Jakarta Post.

A lack of habitat management is another thing contributing to the population'€™s decline, where invasive species such as the sugar palm prevent grass from growing and cause food shortages.

In response to the problem, NGOs and the government plan to set up an intensive monitoring zone (IMZ) and intensive protection zone (IPZ) in which Sumatran rhinos can be protected and managed in an area of at least 100,000 hectares.

Previously, the government issued a ministerial regulation on rhino and tiger conservation strategies for 2007 to 2017. (fsu)(+++)

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