Orangutan population faces extinction<\/p>\n
By Stevie Emilia<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is adored for its natural and cultural
\ndiversity and stands out among the richest countries in the world
\nin terms of its biodiversity. But at the same time, it is also
\nlosing these assets at an incredibly fast rate.<\/p>\n
Dutch researcher Erik Meijaard saw the poor state of the
\ncountry's environmental programs in April 1994 when he started
\nhis research on orangutans. On just one of his trips to East
\nKalimantan, he encountered 13 caged orangutans.<\/p>\n
\"This makes it very frustrating to work here, you see a lot of
\nbeauty and you see it being destroyed at the same time,\" Meijaard
\ntold The Jakarta Post last week.<\/p>\n
The research, performed under the guidance of Herman Rijksen,
\nwho has 25 years experience of Indonesian conservation, was
\ncompleted last year.<\/p>\n
The research was published in the Netherlands last month with
\nRijksen as first author, under the title Our Vanishing Relative:
\nThe Status of Wild Orangutans at the Close of the 20th Century.
\nThe book is currently being translated into Indonesian.<\/p>\n
The authors' findings estimated that in Kalimantan and Sumatra
\n-- the only places where the species are found -- no more than
\n27,000 orangutans were left in the wild, down from an estimated
\n315,000 at the start of this century.<\/p>\n
The apes are spread out over more than 140 habitat fragments
\nin 84 major sectors. In 54 percent of the fragments, the
\nsituation is critical with orangutans expected to become extinct
\nthere within the next few years. Nowhere, can the situation be
\nconsidered stable, i.e. a condition in which a large area is
\nsuffering only minimal habitat degradation so that a normal
\npopulation structure of apes may be preserved.<\/p>\n
\"We estimate that the orangutan is facing extinction in the
\nwild within 20 years unless some significant changes occur,\" said
\nthe former activist with WWF-Netherlands, Balikpapan Orangutan
\nSociety and the International Ministry of Forestry -- Tropenbos
\nKalimantan Programme.<\/p>\n
Meijaard, who obtained a master's degree in tropical ecology
\nfrom the Wageningen Agricultural University in the Netherlands in
\n1994, is currently in Indonesia for PhD research on the
\ndistribution of large mammals.<\/p>\n
His research on orangutans found that the number of the
\nspecies has sharply decreased due to several factors: the illegal
\nhunting of the orangutan populations, arson, deforestation and
\nthe accompanying fragmentation due to selective logging. He added
\nthat these issues arise from a range of impediments or ultimate
\ncauses, namely misconceptions, institutional deficiencies and
\necological impediments.<\/p>\n
\"The problem can be tackled if the will to help the orangutan
\nsurvive can be summoned, and a strategic plan is followed,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Meijaard said the newly published book aims to provide
\nbackground knowledge for people to make the right decision
\nconcerning the survival of orangutans.<\/p>\n
\"Many people are unaware that their decisions concerning wild
\nlands often result in the death of formally protected orangutans.
\nWe want to inform these decision-makers about what is happening
\nwith the orangutans, in the hope that they can change the present
\ncourse of decline.\"<\/p>\n
The research discovered that the decline occurred not only in
\nthe unprotected habitat, but also inside national parks and
\nnature reserves.<\/p>\n
He criticized the government for the low priority accorded
\nconservation efforts. Such programs received limited support from
\npeople and had a very low status in politics, he said.<\/p>\n
In the research, Meijaard worked with different counterparts
\nfrom the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations, and also relied on
\ninformation provided by local people. He tried to gain
\ninformation from logging concessions in Kalimantan, but only six
\npercent of the concessions returned the questionnaire.<\/p>\n
He also researched other species, such as the Malayan sun
\nbear, the Sumatran rhino, tiger and proboscis monkeys.<\/p>\n
He warned that the orangutan could meet the same fate of the
\nJavan rhino. The rhino was common here several hundred years ago;
\npeople were accustomed to seeing them everywhere, grazing on
\nriverbanks, but now \"there are some 50 left on Java and less than
\n10 in Vietnam\".<\/p>\n
The research also proposed the orangutan survival program,
\ncovering two major issues: protection of the orangutan and
\nprotection of its habitat.<\/p>\n
He said these two issues require diverse structural activities
\nin a large number of locations in Sumatra and Kalimantan to be
\nsupported by different national and international sponsors.<\/p>\n
The program requires coordination and an organization, which
\ncan handle acquisition, information dissemination, extension,
\ntraining, guidance, advisory services, management and the
\nmaintenance of a network of relations, both nationally and
\ninternationally, he added.<\/p>\n
In his research, he also noticed that despite all the efforts
\nof dedicated conservationists, little has improved here.<\/p>\n
\"The orangutan programs have had an important role in raising
\nawareness concerning the protected status of the species, still,
\norangutans are being shot and captured on an almost daily basis.
\nJust the other week, three orangutans were found on sale in
\nJakarta's Pramuka market,\" complained Meijaard.<\/p>\n
Even in Bogor, located just around the corner from the eyes of
\nIndonesian conservation authorities, he saw protected species for
\nsale almost every day.<\/p>\n
\"Overall, the conservation picture is very gloomy, and much
\nmore is needed to improve the conservation status of Indonesia's
\nbiodiversity,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Even in protected areas, he adds, the implementation of
\nconservation law is minimal, and often it makes little difference
\nfor wildlife and timber poachers, either poor individuals or rich
\ncorporations, whether an area is protected by conservation and
\nforestry law or not.<\/p>\n
\"So without proper political support, both nationally and
\ninternationally, minimal law enforcement, a lack of funds and
\nalso a lack of commitment and dedication it is unlikely that the
\nsituation can be changed easily.\"<\/p>\n
But Meijaard sees no reason to simply give up, since there is
\nplenty to be saved and there is still hope for improvement.<\/p>\n
\"A very important step would be if Indonesia's future leaders
\nwould realize that their country's nature represents an enormous
\neconomic value, especially when other countries fail to protect
\ntheir own resources.\"<\/p>\n
In his opinion, Indonesia would be acting in a bold and
\nenterprising manner if it considered the long-term benefit of
\nprotecting resources rather the short-term gain of their
\ndestruction.<\/p>\n
\"Sadly, it is not how the human mind seems to function and it
\nwill take a visionary and powerful person to realize such
\nobjectives.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/orangutan-population-faces-extinction-1447893297",
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