JAKARTA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Elephants in Indonesia's Sumatra island continue to inch toward extinction as unchecked human encroachment and illegal logging have destroyed their natural habitat at an alarming rate, local media said here on Saturday.
Only about 2,000 elephants could be found in protected wilderness zones extending from the provinces of Lampung to Aceh, including the Way Kambas, Bukit Barisan Selatan, Kerinci Seblat, Bukit Tiga Puluh and Mount. Leuser national parks, according to the Jakarta Post.
About 100 elephants live in the Tesso Nillo National Park in Riau province in Sumatra island, but there are questions about how long this small population could be sustained as the forest is lost to oil palm plantations, pulp and paper companies, illegal logging and human settlements, the paper said.
Over the last 20 years, 182,140 hectares of forest have been lost in Riau province. The latest data shows the province only has 650,000 hectares forest left.
While authorities have announced a crackdown on illegal logging in the province, there has been little progress in stopping the crime, partly due to the lack of coordination between the provincial team heading the operation and local administrations, according to the paper.
Riau Governor Rusli Zainal said recently his administration was committed to fighting illegal logging, but admitted that "the lack of coordination is a constraint."
As the habitat is destroyed, the home range and food sources of elephants are reduced.
The opening of oil palm plantations in particular has led to inevitable conflicts between people and elephants, the paper added. Enditem
