YPI Records 6,320 Illegal Wildlife Trades Worth IDR 452 Million In West Kalimantan During 2019-2021

Panthera pardus melas or leopard, one of the illegal wildlife trade animals. (Between)

PONTIANAK - The Planet Indonesia Foundation (YPI) recorded that 6,320 animals were illegally traded in West Kalimantan with a total transaction of IDR 452 million.

YPI Conservation Manager, M Wahyu Putra, said the figure was based on online monitoring through social media in the West Kalimantan area for a period of three years in 2019-2021.

"In Indonesia and West Kalimantan, excessive hunting and trading activities cause a decrease in biodiversity in nature, so that it can result in losses, namely the extinction of a species, loss of biodiversity, environmental damage, and others", he said in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, June 22.

He explained, that due to hunting and others, currently, several species of animals are reported to have experienced a significant decline in population and have received international attention,

The declining populations include the Javan eagle (Spizaetus Bartelsi), the yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua Sulphurea), the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris Sumatrae), and the leopard (Panthera Pardus Melas).

"The circulation of wildlife in West Kalimantan Province is no less worrying. Using valid scientific data, the Planet Indonesia Foundation obtains detailed data on the circulation of wild animals, both protected and unprotected", he said.

According to him, the results of the data collection will help government agencies and related parties in taking conservative steps to ensure the protection of wildlife.

YPI West Kalimantan also recorded as many as 56 cases of wildlife trade that have been decided by the district court. Seeing the fact that the circulation of protected wildlife in West Kalimantan Province is quite high, especially the circulation of wild animals is supported by the geographical conditions in West Kalimantan which are directly adjacent to neighboring countries (Malaysia).

Therefore, based on the explanation above, monitoring needs to be carried out, to eradicate wildlife trafficking activities in West Kalimantan, it needs to be further improved and this requires the attention and cooperation of all parties, starting from the government, law enforcement institutions, NGOs, the public, including the mass media, he said.

To ensure the protection of wildlife in West Kalimantan, one of the strategies implemented by the Planet Indonesia Foundation in 2022 is to build media engagement, which is an effective means of disseminating information to the public.

At the same time, he continued, to build or increase public awareness about wildlife protection, and more specifically the illegal wildlife trade.

Wahyu hopes that the media can also play an active role in supporting efforts to protect and reduce the number of cases of illegal wildlife trade through media reporting, including efforts to encourage the attention and participation of related parties and the public in protecting wildlife in West Kalimantan.