The WWF charity has praised the government of Indonesia for declaring their commitment to enlarging a critical area of forest home to Sumatran elephants and tigers. The Tesso Nilo National Park on Sumatra Island will now stretch 86,000 hectares instead of 38,000, and is one of the last habitats for both endangered species.
The park was created in 2004 in the Riau Province, which is home to an estimated 210 Sumatran elephants (the remainder of a 84% population decline in the past 25 years) and 192 Sumatran tigers (after a 70% decline in the past quarter century). Also, with more than 4,000 plant species recorded so far, the forest of Tesso Nilo has the highest lowland forest plant biodiversity known to science.
The WWF is working with local communities that come into conflict for land with species such as elephants which stray out of the national park into local villages and raid crops. The Tesso Nilo forest is also an important watershed for more than 40,000 people living in the park’s surrounding 22 villages.
Chief Executive for WWF-Indonesia, Dr. Mubariq Ahmad, said –
‘This is an important milestone toward securing a future for the Sumatran elephant and tiger. To ensure that the commitment is effectively implemented, we must redouble our efforts on the ground to eliminate poaching and illegal settlements within this special forest.’
