Antara 13 Jun 10;
Dumai, Riau (ANTARA News) - Sumatran elephants are predicted to disappear in view of the declining forest areas as their habitat, a nature conservationist said.
Head of the Nature Conservation Office (BKSDA) for Riau province, Trisnu Danisworo said on Sunday that eight of the nine elephant habitat enclaves in Central Riau had been seriously damaged.
He said that only one enclave in that region still serve as an elephant habitat. "Only one enclave which is still in a good condition," he said.
Trisnu said that the remaining eight enclaves could no longer serve as elephant habitats because they had turned into arid land or transformed into oil palm plantations, human settlements and even into village head offices such as those in the sub-districts of Mandau
and Pinggir, Benkalis regency.
He said that the elephant habitats in the Balai Raja area initially covered 16,000 hectares, now only 300 hectares were left.
"After we made a study and clarification, some of the areas turned out to have been transformed into plantations, human settlements, school buildings and even offices for village heads," Trisnu said.
He said that under these circumstances, it was difficult for the BKSDA to supervise the elephant habitats and to prevent a conflict between elephants and the locals such as what had happeaed in Petani village, Bengkalis regency. This village was formerly a track area of elephants.(*)
