Protecting our natural wealth

Indonesia is blessed with an exceedingly rich flora and fauna. Its tropical forest cover, all 144 million hectares of it, harbors about 25,000 species of plant -- 10 percent of all species in the world. Indonesia also has 515 known mammal species, or 12 percent of the world's total, inhabiting its territory. Of the world's surviving species of reptile and amphibian, 10 percent, or about 3,000 species are found in Indonesia. This country's waters harbor over 8,500 species of fish, or 25 percent of the global total. In addition, Indonesia boasts 1,600 bird species, which is 17 percent of all species in the world.

Amid this natural wealth live 202 millions Indonesians, with different kinds of interests, aspirations and classes of greed. The illegal hunting and trading in protected animal species is but one expression of such greed in man's exploitation of the natural world.

When the economic crisis was in its early stages last year, Walhi (the Indonesian Environmental Forum) warned Indonesians to beware of overexploiting these natural resources in their efforts to escape the crisis. In their misfortune, they said, people might be tempted to fell trees, mine for minerals or hunt protected animal species on an excessive basis without giving much thought to the consequences.

The reported hunting of protected species in the Way Kambas National Park, however, cannot be described as merely an attempt by some people to overcome the economic crisis. Rather, it is a reflection of excessive greed.

It is to be hoped that the illegal trade in Sumatran tigers and other protected species can be brought to a proper end through court actions and that the smuggling network can be uncovered and shattered. Only strict legal action will suffice to ensure better protection of our natural environment.

-- Suara Karya, Jakarta