Rhino research station to be built<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Serang<\/p>\n
As part of the effort to empower local people that live in and
\naround Ujung Kulon National Park on the western tip of Java, the
\npark management plans to build a rhinoceros research station.<\/p>\n
\"We hope the park can improve the park's image, which in turn,
\nwill improve the economy in the area,\" said the park's chief Puja
\nUtama in a discussion held at the Tirtayasa University in Serang
\non Thursday.<\/p>\n
It was poverty, according to Puja, which was main reason of at
\nleast nine foiled attempts by local people to damage the world
\nheritage site since 2004.<\/p>\n
\"The latest cases involved people bombing (for fishing
\npurposes) a coral reef along the 44,337 hectares of marine area
\nand illegal hunting of wild animals,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Puja said the park is in dire need of cooperation from any
\ninstitution that shares the same intention of protecting the
\necological conservation area and empowering the people living
\naround it.<\/p>\n
\"We welcome any kind of protective attempts, which will
\nprevent illegal hunting, deforestation and other damage to the
\n76,214 hectares of forest and the 44,337 hectares of marine areas
\nfrom irresponsible people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Six hectares of the conservation area have been occupied by
\nlocal people since 1992 and they have exploited some 4,000
\nhectares of the forest.<\/p>\n
The park, where the endangered single-horn Java
\nrhinoceros makes its habitat, occupies a total of some 120,000
\nhectares of land. An estimated 60 rhinos and 800 buffaloes,
\nincluding 360 species of plants, can be found in the park.<\/p>\n
The park receives an average of 5,000 visitors annually, of
\nwhich, some 30 to 40 percent are tourists from overseas.<\/p>\n
Another speaker during Thursday's seminar, Danoe Winoto of the
\nIndonesian Wildlife Fund, said that all stakeholders, including
\nthe Ministry of Forestry and state timber company PT Perhutani
\nshould work hand-in-hand to help in the establishment of the
\nrhinoceros research station.<\/p>\n
\"Moreover, the area around Mount Honje in the park,
\nhorticultural trees can be planted, which can be an alternative
\nfor locals to earn a living so they won't touch the conservation
\narea anymore,\" he suggested.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rhino-research-station-to-be-built-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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