ProFauna Launches Ranger Team to Forestall Wildlife Poaching in Conservation Areas

The raging practice of illegal wildlife poaching within conservation areas urges ProFauna to form a special unit to forestall it. The special unit is called ProFauna's Ranger, and will work voluntarily in several conservation areas where wildlife poaching take place. For the first batch, the team has 10 members who have gone through trainings and selections for the past 3 months.

Before they can be rangers, the volunteers have been trained with various skills such as self-defense, survival, mountaineering, wildlife identification, and communication. Those skills will be helpful for them when they go for the high-risk patrols because they will encounter poachers.

 "Illegal wildlife poaching within conservation area violates the Law no.5 of 1990 Concerning the Conservation of Living Resources. This also leads to the extinction of wildlife," claimed Bayu Sandi, ProFauna Indonesia's campaign officer. Bayu, who also serves as the commander of the Ranger team, added "The lacking number of the personnel of the official ranger makes it easy for wildlife poachers to sneak in. That is why this country need the active participation of ProFauna's Ranger, to curb the number of wildlife poaching."

Various species of wildlife are highly threatened by poaching, for example the Javan Langur, Leopard Cat, Jungle Fowl, Civets, Hornbills, and Deer. Most are poached within conservation areas, which are supposed to be safe havens for those animals. Some of the most vulnerable locations are the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, Merubetiri National Park, R. Soerjo Grand Forest Park, Baluran National Park, Arjuna Lalijiwo Nature Reserve, and Mt. Argopuro.

According to the Law no.5 of 1990, all kinds of wildlife poaching within conservation areas is forbidden. Anybody who conducts wildlife poaching within conservation areas is shall be punished with 5 years of prison and IDR 100 million fines.

The establishment of ProFauna's Ranger is expected to give motivation to the official rangers or national park service officers in doing their patrol to prevent illegal wildlife poaching. "ProFauna's Ranger will also collaborate with the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam/BKSDA) and the National Park Service in ensuring the security of the areas," said Bayu.

Public participation in preventing illegal wildlife poaching within conservation area is guaranteed by Indonesian laws. In the Law no.41 of 1999 on Forestry, in article 69 it is mentioned that the communities shall participate in taking care and protecting the forest from disturbance. In the law no.5 of 1990 Concerning the Conservation of Living Resources, article 4 mentions that the conservation of living resources is the responsibility of the government and communities.

The participation of the general public is also stated in the Law no.32 of 2009 on the Living Environment, article 70 states that the communities have broad and equal right and opportunity to actively participate in the management and protection of the living environment. "ProFauna's Ranger is a form of the public's active participation in the conservation of our nature, so similar teams and actions are expected to appear in other places in the country," concluded Bayu Sandi.