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.