Thousands of elephants lose habitat

Thousands of elephants lose habitat

BENGKULU: More than 2,600 elephants, a protected species in North Sumatra, are losing their natural habitat due to intensive logging in rain forests, conservation areas and national parks on the island.

Kurnia Rauf, chief of the conservation and genetics section at the forestry ministry, said here on Thursday that Sumatra had 52 habitats for elephants but that they were under threat due to human activities.

He said that besides elephants, many other protected species such as tigers, rhinos and birds were threatened by poachers.

According to data at the forestry ministry, the number of elephants in Sumatra is between 600 and 800, with most located in Lampung, Riau, Bengkulu and Aceh.

He said his office would coordinate with the agriculture ministry to regulate the development of plantations on the island to support the protected species conservation program. --Antara