Indonesian authorities and the WWF have come together to save Sumatra. Authorities have finally realized that habitat loss is taking place at an extremely rapid rate. They have agreed upon an ‘ecosystem-based planning’, and if adopted it would ban any projects that will be harmful to the ecological health of Sumatra’s ecosystem.
Sumatra is known for its unique endemic and charismatic fauna like the Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Elephant etc. It also has three World Heritage Sites identified by the UNESCO. All of Sumatra’s forests are tropical rain forests. Different islands in the world have their own geographical and evolutionary significance, which translates onto the biodiversity, present in the area. Such islands are usually responsible for several processes of speciation – formation of species and evolutionary radiation that brings about significant changes within species.
It’s the age old saga of rapid industrialization, habitat encroachment for expanding plantations, and illegal logging, threatening the loss of more than 50% of the island’s forests. The WWF has assessed the rate of loss and commends the decision made by the authorities to restore the forests, which has come in decent time to save the remaining forests.
Source: redOrbit
Its excellent. Bio-diversity enriched South East Asia must be saved
