It's not just tigers

It's not just tigers

Of the countries of the world that are blessed with a
favorable climate and a propitious natural environment, Indonesia
ranks among those that are exceptionally rich in terms of plant
and animal life. Unfortunately, problems of all sorts -- both
contemporary, such as population pressures, and traditional, such
as the poaching of animals for making aphrodisiacs and other
potions -- have been putting an increasingly heavy strain on the
country's rich natural environment.

The need for conservation of this rich environment has been
often enough emphasized, both by the media, concerned groups in
society and by the country's highest authorities. Only yesterday,
President Soeharto remarked on the occasion of launching our
national day to promote concern for our flora and fauna that
continuous efforts must be made to promote a greater national
awareness of the importance of preserving a healthy environment.

Even so, the destruction of our environment has continued
unabated and may even be taking place with ever-increasing
intensity each year. Modern logging and encroaching human
settlements are shrinking the natural habitats of various species
of wildlife that are already threatened by poaching.

A sad example is that of the Indonesian tiger. Once known as
the "king of the rain forest", the Indonesian tiger has been
pushed to the brink of extinction. The Bali tiger disappeared in
as early as the 1940s. The Java tiger vanished in the 1980s. Now
the Sumatran tiger is in danger. At least 14 of the 500-odd
remaining tigers on the island are estimated to be killed each
year in the Gunung Leuser and Gunung Kerinci National Parks where
they are roaming supposedly under protection.

In the two decades spanning the years between 1973 and 1992,
for example, more than 4,000 kilograms of tiger bones were
reported to have been exported from Indonesia. Data compiled by
the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) shows that about two-thirds
of tiger bones imported by South Korea -- which is believed to be
the biggest importer of tiger bones in the world -- come from
Indonesia, which gives Indonesia the dubious distinction of being
one of the world's biggest exporters of tiger bones and organs.

Given all the efforts that have been made to stem the tide,
one might ask why is the destruction of our environment
continuing at such a rate? One of the reasons, we believe, is
that amidst our current development efforts, a sad lack of a
sense of balance exists. Or, to put it in other words, heavy
stress is placed on our human needs without enough consideration
of the fact that in the long run, it is the quality of our
natural environment that will to a large extent determine the
quality of our lives. As WWF coordinator on species in Indonesia
Ron Lilley said, conservation is always low on the scale of
priorities until something happens, like the recent floods in
Jakarta. Then suddenly, people start to take action.

At certain levels of our society, perhaps it can be regarded
as natural that people should be concerned first and foremost
with the satisfaction of their immediate needs. Thus, elephants
and tigers rampaging in villages are nuisances that must be dealt
with. Pressed as they are by the need to provide for their daily
needs, the bigger context of the phenomenon will escape most
simple villagers.

No such excuse, however, can be made by the educated people
who are in charge of decision-making and who oversee the
development programs at the center of government and in the
regions. First of all, a strong political will is needed to push
the conservation programs through. For those who have the
knowledge and the authority to do something about the situation,
the conservation programs must not be low on the priority scale.
After all, we all share the responsibility to leave behind a
healthy, undamaged environment for our children and grandchildren
to enjoy.