Andi Abdussalam, Antara 31 Jan 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Rare animal conservationists believe that the population of rarest animal species such as tigers and elephants in Sumatra has been declining due in part to conflicts between human beings.
The population of the Sumatran tiger (panthera tigris Sumatrae), for example, has been reduced to between 500 and 600 from about 1,000 three decades ago. This figure was based on a survey and a report discussed in a regional meeting of the "Our Tigers` Forum" in Jambi recently.
In its previous survey, the forum which groups 57 conservationist organizations from various regions throughout Indonesia, recorded that in 1978 the number of tigers in Sumatra was about 1,000. But in line with the expansion of plantation and development, the number of tigers in Sumatra dropped to 800 in 1992 and to about 600 at present.
According to coordinator of the Forum, Horiyo T Wibisono, the population of Sumatran tigers has been decreasing for a number of reasons, among others, the increasing acreage in the conversion of their habitats into plantations, poaching and conflicts between tigers and the locals.
Based on the Forum`s records, within the period of 1978 and 1999 alone, there were at least 146 cases of human-animal conflicts and in the 1998 - 2002 period, a total of 38 tigers were killed in the forests.
In the meantime, the number of people killed in the conflicts with tigers in the 2002 - 2004 period reached 40 cases.
From 2005 to 2007, the Forum also recorded 50 cases of tiger-human conflicts. But the survey was carried out only in three provinces of Aceh, Rau and Lampung.
"We have not yet conducted a survey in Jambi province and other regions," Horiyo said after addressing a regional workshop on Sumatran tigers in Jambi last month.
However, according to a record kept by Jambi`s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), Sumatran tigers killed a total of eight people in the province in 2009.
"Eight people were killed and three others injured in tiger attacks in 2009. One person survived such an experience with a tiger and three others were wounded by bears," the head of Jambi`s BKSDA, Agung Widodo, said.
The agency has also recorded six conflicts between humans and wild animals (tigers and bears) that happened in a number of Jambi`s districts in 2009. The first human-animal conflict recorded by Jambi`s BKSDA in 2009 was between three people and a bear in Lubuk village, Tanjung Jabung district. The three humans survived but were wounded.
The first case of a tiger attack in which the victim died happened in Pematang Raman village, Muarojambi district, and the second in Puding village, Muraojambi district. In the second case, two people were killed, and one person survived.
Two people also fell prey to tigers in a protected peatland forest in Sungai Gelam Pancoran subdistrict, Muaorijami district. Later, another human was killed by a tiger in the Pal 10 area of Sungai Gelam subdistrict, Muarojambi district and the last tiger attack happened in Muara Mendak village, Bayung Lincir district in which two people died.
In the meantime the number of human-animal conflicts in Aceh province has also increased over the past three years.
Aceh Province has recorded a total of 99 cases of human-animal conflicts from 2007 to 2009 which have caused some of the rare animals to perish.
"Due to the human-wildlife conflicts, the number of animals in Aceh has decreased, as wild animals such as elephants were hunted by people," Yakob Ishadamy, head of the Aceh Green Secretariat, said on Saturday.
There were 33 cases of human-animal conflicts in 2007, 46 cases in 2008 and 30 cases in 2009, he said. People used to take a short-cut by hunting the wild animals, such as elephants and tigers.
In 1996, there were 600-700 elephants in Aceh Province, and the number was estimated to decrease to 350-450 elephants in 2007. The population of elephants in Aceh had depleted by almost 40 percent during 1996-2006. From 2007 to September 2008, 39 elephants were captured or killed, he said.
On Sumatra Island as a whole, the population of elephants was estimated to reach between 2,400 and 2,800 heads in 2007. Some of the elephants lived in small blocks of forests which could not support the survival of elephants in a long term, he said.
The decreasing acreage of forests as habitats for tigers and elephants is also a main factor that helps reduce the number of these rare animals.
In Riau province, the damage of the "Suku Talang Mamak" customary forest area in Indragiri Hulu district that threatens the existence of tigers, is a case in point. The Suku Talang Mamak forest is part of the rare species` cruising tracks in protected "Bukit Tiga Puluh" National Park (TNBT).
"Damage to the customary forest will affect the existence of tigers in the area because the forest is one of the supporting forest areas for the TNBT," Spokesman of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Riau Syamsidar said recently.
Of the 1,800 hectares, about 1,700 hectares have been damaged and slashed for plantations. Preserving animal species` habitat is vitally importance for preserving tigers` and elephats` population.
For this purpose, the WWF will launch a yearlong campaign this year to stop the disappearance of tigers across Asia and double the number of wild tigers by 2022.
Globally, there might be only as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild around the world.
The Year of Tiger will be launched globally on February 14, 2010, marking the beginning of the Year of Tiger based on the Chinese calendar. (*)
