11 Apr 2006 - Your Excellency,
I am writing with regard to Sumatra’s Elephants,
particularly in Riau where they are dying at an
alarming pace. Poisonings and deadly captures
have caused the population to decrease by 75%
from 1067-1617 elephants in 1985 to 353-431 elephants
in 2003. In the last two months alone, 12 Riau
elephants were killed. These incidents have captured
huge global attention. Over 200 media reports
were published about these elephants over the
last five weeks.
Riau’s elephants have no place to go, as their
forests have been cleared. They are forced to
feed in plantations that have replaced the forests.
As a result, both people and elephants are suffering.
Properties have been damaged and some people have
even lost their lives. Some elephants have been
poisoned by oil palm plantation owners or farmers.
Many elephants have been captured by local authorities,
often resulting in elephant deaths.
Your Excellency, we are witnessing the extinction
of the Sumatran elephant in Riau. WWF has tried
for six years to stop this by working closely
with the Ministry of Forestry and local government
in Riau. However, we have not been successful.
Today, we are turning to you, Mr. President, and
we ask your support to:
1. Order all Indonesian citizens to stop killing
elephants; whether directly, by poisoning, shooting,
or unprofessional capturing, or indirectly through
destruction of their habitat.
2. Order the relevant government institutions
and plantation corporations to implement the “Protocol
of Human and Elephant Conflict Mitigation”, developed
by the Riau Conservation Authority (BKSDA) and
NGOs, including WWF. Capturing elephants should
only be a last resort.
3. Order relevant government institutions, local
governments and plantation corporations to stop
logging (legal and illegal) in conservation areas
and cancel, or return the forest conversion licenses,
particularly those issued on elephant habitat.
The Balai Raja Wildlife Reserve, for your information,
was once declared with 16,000 hectares of forest,
but has only 260 ha of forest left today.
4. Prioritize the expansion of Tesso Nilo and
Bukit Tigapuluh National Parks in Riau and Jambi
so they include all the elephant forests surrounding
them. They are two of the last remaining retreats
of elephants in central Sumatra. Loosing them
would drive central Sumatra’s elephants closer
to the brink of extinction. Saving their forests
and managing them properly would allow elephants
to survive without generating further conflict
and the ensuing devastating consequences.
5. Enforce the nature protection laws already
in place to protect Sumatran elephants and their
habitats, and transparently prosecute those who
kill or torment elephants (especially after they
are captured), as well as those people who issue
and execute licenses that convert habitat inconsistently
with existing rules and regulations.
Your Excellency, WWF is fully prepared to assist
the Ministry of Forestry and local government
in Riau in implementing a comprehensive conservation
plan for the Sumatran elephant.
We seek Your Excellency's support to save the
Sumatran elephant, as they are part of the natural
heritage of our beloved country. The support also
constitute expression of Indonesia’s commitment
to deliver the targets of the Convention of Biological
Diversity which were ratified in 1994.
Thank you for Your Excellency's support and kind
attention.
Yours sincerely,
Mubariq Ahmad, PhD - Executive Director - WWF-Indonesia
