Jakarta beckons as a center for illegal wildlife trade

By Bayu Dwi Mardana Kusuma

JAKARTA (JP): Despite its limited number of native animals, Jakarta is overwhelmed with wild and protected species which have been brought here from all around the country.

Orangutans, yellow-crested cockatoos, parrots, birds of paradise and more are proudly paraded by traders in public places -- even in shopping malls -- to satisfy people's curiosity. For the right price, the animals can belong to those who believe keeping endangered animals as pets will raise their social status.

The slow action in stopping this illegal trade has given a bad image to the forestry ministry's directorate general of nature conservation and forest protection (PHKA), and also -- with the implementation of regional autonomy -- the Jakarta administration.

"Indonesia now is at the top of the list (of countries which have) the most endangered species," said Jatna Supriatna, executive director of the Conservation International-Indonesia Program. For example, there are around 128 local bird species on the brink of extinction, he said.

"The number is enormous compared with China and India, which rank second on the list," he said. Both China and India have 75 species of birds on the brink of extinction.

This intricate issue has put Indonesia in the spotlight, with mounting pressure coming from both local and international conservationists and environmentalists.

On a legal basis, the utilization of wildlife is properly regulated, along with punitive provisions for violators.

For example, Law No. 5/1990 regulates the conservation of natural resources and the ecosystem. There is also a quarantine law, government regulation No. 7/1999 on the conservation of wild flora and fauna and government regulation No. 8/1999 on the utilization of wild flora and fauna.

Moreover, Indonesia has ratified the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). The convention, declared in Washington in 1973, is mainly intended to control the global wildlife trade.

Unfortunately, the laws stay on paper and are not fully enforced, creating more environmental problems for the capital.

"Theoretically, a law will be effective if it is accompanied by four aspects: law, legal infrastructure and facilities, law enforcers and culture," legal expert Loebby Loqman told participants of a recent seminar on the control of the illicit wildlife trade in Jakarta.

He cited the legal culture as an example. "It's hard to expect people to obey the law, especially with the present economic situation where it is hard to resist the promised profits from the illegal trade of wild animals," Loebby said.

Law enforcement, he said, also depends on other factors, such as consequences, consistency and continuity. "Without these factors, don't expect satisfying results," said Loebby, adding that these factors would prevent public suspicion of the authority's efforts to phase out the illegal business.

There are rumors that the authority's steps to stop the illegal trade in protected animals are spurious, with some of the traders informed about raids beforehand. As a result, no wild and protected animals are confiscated during the raids.

"Reports have circulated that the rare species confiscated in bird markets during raids can be reclaimed by their sellers afterward," Loebby said.

Negative charges

In its efforts to refute these charges, the forestry ministry, in this case the PHKA, has launched several operations such as the one in March involving the Jakarta office of the Nature Resources Conservation (KSDA), along with the police and military.

During a raid of the Barito bird market in South Jakarta, some protected animals like yellow birds of paradise, yellow-crested cockatoos, black-headed parrots and many other were confiscated.

"It's true that it (illegal trade of animals) has become a widespread business," Heryanto of PHKA admitted. "But in enforcing the law, we are facing two different groups."

He explained that the first group comprised traders who were aware what they were doing was illegal, and the second group who were unaware of the existing laws and regulations.

"We deal with each group differently," Heryanto said.

The office has prepared several strategies in dealing with these problems, such as tightening controls and conducting joint operations with related organizations, such as non-governmental organizations and government offices.

Skeptical

These strategies, however, do not satisfy conservationists. They still doubt the work of PHKA, and hold seminars, workshops and informal meetings to find a solution.

To improve the enforcement of the laws, Loebby suggested the bans and sanctions in the laws on wildlife protection be advertised more vigorously. "Publicizing (the bans and sanctions) will at least stop people from wanting to keep endangered animals," Loebby said.

Moreover, he suggested the authorities take steps to show the public that confiscated wildlife animals have been sent back to their natural habitats or kept by the relevant authorities.

"These efforts will prevent the impression that the animals go 'missing' (after the raids)," Loebby said.

The use of advanced technology, such as artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer was urged by Jatna Supriatna to help prevent the extinction of species.

In the United States, captive breeding projects are successful. Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) have become a commercial commodity without disturbing its population in the wild. A similar project involved the Cayman island's turtles, meaning people do not have to violate the law when consuming there meat.

Indonesia began such breeding projects in 1984, successfully breeding 12 wildlife species including crocodiles and several primates. For commercial purposes, 31 companies are engaged in the captive breeding of animals.

By making use of these options, it is hoped future generations of Indonesians will be able to see wild animals in their natural habitats, rather than only in documentaries.