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EU adopts baby elephant named Eropa
Bath time: The decision of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to name a newborn elephant âEropaâ (left) symbolizes its support of Tangkahan conservation and ecotourism efforts
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Bath time: The decision of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to name a newborn elephant âEropaâ (left) symbolizes its support of Tangkahan conservation and ecotourism efforts. Most foreign tourists visiting the forest in the Leuser Ecosystem are from Europe. (Courtesy of the EU Delegation to Indonesia) (EU) to name a newborn elephant âEropaâ (left) symbolizes its support of Tangkahan conservation and ecotourism efforts. Most foreign tourists visiting the forest in the Leuser Ecosystem are from Europe. (Courtesy of the EU Delegation to Indonesia)
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span class="inline inline-center">Bath time: The decision of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to name a newborn elephant 'Eropa' (left) symbolizes its support of Tangkahan conservation and ecotourism efforts. Most foreign tourists visiting the forest in the Leuser Ecosystem are from Europe. (Courtesy of the EU Delegation to Indonesia)
The Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Jakarta has adopted Eropa (Europe), a newborn elephant from the Tangkahan Conservation Response Unit in the Leuser Ecosystem, as part of its effort to strengthen conservation and encourage community-based ecotourism.
'The naming and adoption of baby elephant Eropa, born on Sept. 1, 2015, highlights the EU's long-term commitment to the unique Leuser Ecosystem, to which it has contributed over '¬50 million [US$55 million] to protect and sustainably manage Aceh's and North Sumatra's forests,' the head of cooperation of the EU Delegation to Indonesia, Franck Viault, said on Thursday.
Ambassador-designate of the EU to Indonesia Vincent Guérend said the adoption of baby elephant Eropa by the EU Delegation to Indonesia would help strengthen another important aspect of the work of the Leuser Ecosystem, a conservation partnership between the Tangkahan Conservation Response Unit (CRU) and local communities, who have moved from illegal logging to sustainable ecotourism.
'We also hope it will raise awareness among the young generation about the threat of elephant poaching," Guérend further said.
Earlier this year, the EU Delegation adopted young elephant Aras, which monitors and protects the eastern part of the Leuser Ecosystem as part of the Aras Napal Elephant Patrol Unit (EPU). The aim of Aras' adoption was to bring public attention to the importance of conservation and the fight against climate change.
The EU reports that elephant poaching for ivory and its consequences are real in Sumatra. Several elephants have reportedly been killed in Sumatra over the last several months, including the much-loved elephant Yongki, who was found slayed and had his tusks removed.
The CRU Tangkahan, which has ten elephants and a dedicated team of 13 people, has developed a close partnership with local communities to encourage a community-based ecotourism approach towards conservation.
The Unit said the decision to name the baby elephant "Eropa" is in recognition of the EU's support and to emphasize the importance of tourism. To date, the majority of foreign ecotourists that visit Tangkahan come from Europe.
'We believe that this conservation partnership has proven successful and can serve as a model for community-based ecotourism. To ensure that conservation efforts are sustainable, it is key to find a win-win solution that also helps to improve the livelihoods of local communities on the edge of the forests,' CRU Tangkahan manager Edi Sunardi said.
Tangkahan is located at the tip of the Leuser Ecosystem, one of top 25 critical ecosystems in the world, which covers 2.6 million hectares. At its core, the Gunung Leuser National Park is made of mostly undisturbed tropical rain forests in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces.
It is estimated that 80 percent of Sumatran elephants' lowland natural forest habitat has disappeared in the past 25 years and the number of Sumatran wild elephants has diminished to only 2,500 with increased conflict between them and farming communities. As a result, the Sumatra elephant, a subspecies of the Asian elephant, is now on the international list of critically endangered species. (ebf)
