Diminishing Pachyderm Refuge
The environmental impact of all wild animals in the world have been dealt a blow by increasing human activity diminishing their natural habitat. In all countries of the world where human-led actions have led to animals being shoved out of their normal dwelling and hunting areas, where there is less nourishment and security for them, an increase in species extinction results, slowly and surely.With diminished territory comes diminished opportunity for survival. And large animals like elephants who need ample room to roam and to secure their nutritional needs see their status becoming increasingly embattled. The World Wildlife Fund has initiated remediation projects all over the world in an effort to assist the survival of all kinds of the Earth's non-human inhabitants.
As people cut down forests for sale and shipment abroad, as the indigenous poor cut down trees for a source of cooking fuel and heating even in protected areas, forests begin to decline. (With the decline of forests comes desertification, and environmental hazards due to increased carbon dioxide emissions.) It's estimated that in the last two decades 60% of elephant habitat has been lost to paper and palm-oil production in Indonesia.
Of the remaining forest, a mere ten percent is considered suitable for elephant habitation. As a result, in the province of Sumatra, the elephant population has plummeted from 1,600 to 350. With some herds being protected in the WWF-funded Tesso Nilo National Park. Wild herds leave the perimeters of the park regularly to attack nearby human settlements in a search for food.
Despite the respect Indonesians have for elephants, their reaction to safeguard their own habitation and food sources is to kill the invading animals to remove the threats to their own survival. It's a vicious cycle, with people needing more room to live, clearing the forest to prepared the land for cultivation, and in the process restricting elephants to increasingly fewer forested areas.
Labels: Environment, Societal Failures, World Crises
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, December 05, 2009
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