T

he Environment and Forestry Ministry says it will soon carry out biodiversity conservation reinforcement efforts to counter the risk of extinction faced by the Sumatran and Kalimantan orangutan as a result of the increasing destruction of their natural habitats.

'€œWe aim to increase the populations of 25 endangered animals, one of which is the orangutan, by 10 percent as stipulated in the 2015-2019 National Mid-Term Development Plan [RPJM],'€ the ministry'€™s biodiversity conservation director, Bambang Dahono Adji, said as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Thursday.

'€œFor that purpose, we have contacted heads of natural resource conservation agencies [BKSDA] and national parks to reinforce biodiversity conservation efforts,'€ he said.

Dahono said conservation reinforcement would be conducted in a sustainable manner through habitat and population surveys and evaluations and increased breeding efforts for endangered species. Other conservation reinforcement efforts include active participation in conservation-related activities, playing greater roles in handling human-animal conflicts and continuous public education on the need for conservation.

Dahono said the ministry would also strive to optimize budgetary allocations for biodiversity conservation to tackle threats of species endangerment.

He acknowledged that a lack coordination among conservation-related institutions often occurred in handling human-animal conflicts. If the BKSDA had coordinated with local communities and the private sector from the onset, human-animal conflicts could have been prevented.

Dahono said public education on the importance of conserving the orangutan and other endangered species must be increased.