Adventures
from the Sumatran Rainforest
by Robin W. Radcliffe,
DVM, DACZM
Journal Entry 4: Final
Journal Entry
Truly a Sanctuary in a Sea of
Humankind
A lot of changes are forthcoming
in the captive management of Sumatran
rhinoceros with the hopes of making significant
advancements with a thus far struggling program.
The future looks far
from secure for this species in both captivity
and the
wild. One of
the most important tasks will be to ensure
that all disease risks are carefully evaluated
prior to any rhino translocations. In
effect, we must avoid doing more harm than
good despite our best intentions.
Aside from
the captive breeding program the sanctuary
is situated in the heart of some of the last
lowland
rainforest left in
Sumatra.
As such, the sanctuary
could make lasting contributions to local
people
by
providing
experiences for
adults and children alike in the form of
education programs and encounters with
wildlife and forest
ecology. About 80% of the people surrounding
Way Kambas still earn a living from the
land in some form (primarily agriculture),
but
finding sustainable ways to do so lies
at the heart
of its long-term protection if we are to
conserve even a small part of this place
in the face
of growing human demands for resources.
Perhaps
the most lasting impression of my four months
in Sumatra (apart from the
rather
frequent
geothermic activity in the earth's fault
lines in this region of the world!) is
the important
role that local people MUST play in conservation.
So often those of us
in the animal field (and especially in wildlife
conservation)
believe
that if we save a specie's genetic
code
that we will save the animal from extinction. Such a greater fallacy could not be
orchestrated! I
believe and would like to suggest that
perhaps the last hope for the Sumatran
rhino (and many
other species today) lies not in any
zoo where high tech procedures capture
the attention
of well-intentioned donors, but rather
in the villages and town meeting halls
across Indonesia
and the globe. These are where decisions
will be forged about land use, resource
management,
laws and enforcement that will shape
the region's future and our own.
In
addition - and of growing interest to me
- is that this is also where
the local
children
will form lasting impressions about
what the forest and its life mean
to them,
beliefs and
ethics that will stay with them for
generations to come and form the
basis of a future
land ethic.
This is at the heart of
why I believe that more focus should be placed
on education of children about
the rhino
and the rainforest.
While my primary
work here has been with the Sumatran rhinoceros,
I have
also
come away
from this experience with an
enduring love for Indonesia; its people,
history and
most of all its amazing biodiversity
have left
a lasting impression. Of
all places on earth, I cannot
think of a region with more
amazing and indeed often bizarre
life forms.
From long-necked
beetles to 9-inch walking sticks
the diameter of
your finger, the
most dazzling hornbills and kingfishers
to giant
red flying squirrels with a wingspan
of more than a meter (they can
glide 100 meters
and
apparently can live an entire
lifetime without ever touching
the ground!)
to some of the
most amazing plants in the world.
Have you ever seen the
giant Rafflesia flower?? Sumatran
rhinos actually enjoy eating
them while in blossom! The Rafflesia
flower is the world's largest flower and symbolizes
the amazing
life forms that this region holds. As
an nation of islands, it also
faces the most imminent peril
- largely because these organisms
all share the common trait of "endemism" or
unique biota found nowhere else
on earth.
Much attention has been given
to biodiversity these days, but
I
don't believe the importance
of preserving the diversity of such systems
can be overstated. Not
just as token remnants analogous
to a zoological ark, but truly
intact ecosystems deserving
of our utmost care and protection.
Well,
I hope this and previous reports
have served to educate,
enlighten
and perhaps even make you laugh.
Bye for now,
Robin
p.s.
If you have any questions send them along
to
editor@fossilrim.org
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