Environmental Affairs Ministry To Intensify Orangutan Conservation Efforts

Jakarta (Antara Bali)- The Environmental Affairs and Forestry Ministry plans to intensify its biological diversity conservation efforts particularly to protect the endangered Sumatran orangutans (Pongo Abelii) and Kalimantan orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), as their natural habitats are shrinking.

"We have a target to increase the population of 25 endangered fauna, including orangutans, in the Mid-Term Development Plan 2015-2019. In this regard, all heads of the Natural Resources Conservation Offices and the National Park Offices has been informed to intensify their biodiversity conservation efforts," the ministry's Biodiversity Conservation Director Bambang Dahono Adeji stated here on Thursday.

The sustainable conservation efforts include conducting surveys and evaluation of the animal population and their habitats and carrying out public awareness campaigns.

The ministry will also play an active role in increasing the population of the endangered animal and addressing human-animal conflicts.

"Public education on the importance of conserving orangutans and other endangered animals must be stepped up. Here, the role of NGOs including the Nature Conservancy (TNC) is crucial," he affirmed.

The director explained that it is not easy to make the public understand, as a certain community still consumes endangered animals in Kalimantan.

Adeji pointed out that currently, 70 percent of the orangutan habitats on Kalimantan Island are located outside protected forest areas.

According to TNC Program Manager Niel Makinuddin, the biggest threat to the endangered orangutan population is the conversion of forests into plantation and mining areas.

The rate of habitat loss and degradation in Sumatra is 1.5 percent annually and two percent annually in Kalimantan.

Forest fires and poaching also threaten the survival of these orangutans, he added.

In order to save the orangutans, the TNC has recommended improvement in the government policy on regional land spatial planning, including licensing in human resources and corridor connectivity.

The NGO also recommends orangutan protection by using a mechanism of Better Management Practices (BMP) in plantations and industrial forests (HTI), and in managing human-orangutan conflicts.

The third recommendation is to strengthen law enforcement efforts.

According to TNC's data, some 103.917 square kilometers of orangutan habitats overlap with industrial forest lands, palm oil plantations, and forest concession holders in West, Central, East, and North Kalimantan provinces.

Mining activities covering 42.572 square kilometers in West, Central, East, and North Kalimantan provinces often overlap with orangutan habitats. (WDY)