Jakarta (Greeners) – Amid massive illegal wildlife trading, Ministry of Environment and Forestry reveals that some of priority endangered animals have increase their population, such as Sumatran elephant, Sumatran tiger, Javan rhino, Bali sterling, Javan eagle, and Javan gibbon, in several national parks.
Wiratno, director general of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, said that the priority endangered animals population spread in several conservation areas, forest areas, and outside of forest areas.
In Bali National Park, there is an increase of 31 birds in 2015 to 191 birds in 2019. For the same period, Javan rhino population in Ujung Kulon National park rises from 63 to 68 rhinos.
Meanwhile, Javan gibbon increases from 546 to 1,107 individuals, 611 to 693 Sumatran elephants, 180 to 220 Sumatran tigers, and 91 to 113 Javan eagles.
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Wiratno said that the successful is due to active public participation in conservation efforts. He said that the ministry is open to other parties giving information about conservation.
“All national parks and natural resources conservation offices have call centers. If there are reports, they need to respond. If not, then they can directly report to my personal number, I will respond them,” he said in Pekanbaru on Monday (13/5/2019).
He said that public participation is one of the keys for ecosystem conservation. He cited the shift of attitude in Tangkahan eco-tourism in Langkat district of North Sumatra.
“There were forest encroachments but people no longer destroying forests, they’re preserving areas so more tourists come to the areas. There are billions of money generated to provide for people living in the areas,” he said.
Currently, conservation areas in Indonesia reaches to 27.14 million hectares and more than 6,000 villages surrounding conservation areas.
Meanwhile, Sustyo Iriyono, director of prevention and forest security at the ministry, said that his office has been consistently pushing the efforts, to prevent and to enforce the law on environment and forest crimes.
“Though only four years old, but law enforcement from ministry of environment and forestry is very firm. We strengthen not only numbers of personnel but also their capabilities. We cooperate with other institutions so that information needed to prevent and enforce the law is easily done,” said Iriyono.
Reports by Dewi Purningsih
21 Apr 2024 
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