Government seriousness urged for protecting nature reserves

Tue, 05/06/2008 1:56 PM  |  Lifestyle

Environmentalists have urged the government to be serious toward protecting North Sulawesi's Tangkoko-Batuangus Nature Reserve in order to raise the dwindling populations of Sulawesi's endangered species.

"It's already time the government, through the provincial administration, involve the local people in nature preservation," John Tasirin, Sulawesi program coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society, said.

Tasirin is also a member of the Sulut Bosami Network, which groups together Minahasa people from all over the world concerned with the poor nature preservation of North Sulawesi.

Various endangered animals in Sulawesi living at Tangkoko-Batuangus Nature Reserve in Ranowulu district, Bitung regency, are headed for extinction mainly due to the low level of local awareness of the existing natural wealth, Tasirin said.

Tasirin said widespread hunting and habitat destruction were the major threats facing the endangered species.

Animal researcher Saroyo Sumarto agrees with Tasirin. Even though Tangkoko-Batuangus Nature Reserve is supposed to be a safe sanctuary for animals, it is increasingly becoming less like the animals' real habitat.

Several animals, like the rare maleo bird, which buries its eggs in the sand, are difficult to observe at the nature reserve complex, Saroyo said.

Dozens of other bird species are found only in Sulawesi, where its forests shelter the remaining endangered anoa, a small buffalo the size of a large dog.

When Alfred Russel Wallace, a British explorer, made expeditions to Indonesian islands including Sulawesi between 1854 and 1862, many deer hogs with tusks curling back above their eyes were still widely found, but hardly a single one can be spotted today.

In addition to the possible extinction of the maleo birds, anoa and deer pig, the populations of the tailless Makaka nigra monkey and the tiny Sulawesi tarsier, the smallest primate in the world, are also falling steadily.

"The population of the yaki, the local name of the tailless monkey, for example, still reached 300 per square kilometer in 1978, but tumbled to only 40 per square kilometer between 1998 and 2002," Saroyo said.

An aggressive campaign about the importance of preserving endangered animals has helped curb the widespread trade of their meat but not forest encroachment for non-forestry purposes, Tasirin said.

Forest encroachment constitutes one of the most formidable threats to the protected animals' habitat, he said.

It's not only the government's duty, but it is also up to the public in general to stop the activities threatening the animals' habitat, Tasirin said.

"Government-run Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) is in charge of managing the nature reserve complex at Tangkoko, but its results have not yet been optimal," he said.

To accommodate for a collaboration with the local people, a partnership management unit should have already been established, he said.

"Under such a cooperation, we intend to involve the participation of BKSDA, universities, hotel and restaurant owners, local administration, police, non-governmental organizations and other related institutions," Tasirin said.

This cooperation is expected to help promote nature tourism through the establishment of various supporting facilities at designated tourist areas, he said.

Under such a cooperation, BKSDA will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the nature reserve, while the management unit will be facilitating the participation of villages nearby.

"The participation of the people living near the nature conservation complex is expected to bear economic benefits too," he added. -- Hyginus Hardoyo

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