Tagging pygmy elephants in Borneo
Rampant logging and the conversion of forests to plantations are driving the destruction of Borneo's forests, threatening the world's population of pygmy elephants, according to a report by WWF.
Bornean Pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), mother with calf
© WWF/Cede PRUDENTE
Shrinking forests and the fragmentation of habitat is bringing Borneo's rare pygmy elephants into more frequent contact with people, increasing human-elephant conflict in the region and threatening the survival of the species, according to Borneo: Treasure Island at Risk.
Staff involved in WWF's Asian Rhinoceros and Elephant Action Strategy (AREAS) estimate that there are less than 1,500 pygmy elephants left in the world.
WWF is the only conservation organisation working to protect the population.
WWF's 'Heart of Borneo' initiative aims to assist Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia to conserve a total of 220,000km2 of equatorial rainforest. Conservation of the rainforest will be enabled through a network of protected areas and sustainably-managed forest, and through international cooperation led by the governments and supported by a global effort.
Initiatives including placing GPS tracking collars on the elephants, will be a huge step forward in scientists' understanding of the pygmy elephants and which forests are most important to them - and hence, the most crucial to preserve.
"Our field team has tracked elephants on foot for weeks at a time to gather data but it's very difficult and labor-intensive," says Raymond Alfred, WWF's AREAS Project Manager.
"Borneo is one of the only places left in Southeast Asia where it is still possible to conserve forests on a very large scale."
Today, only half of Borneo's forest cover remains, down from 75 per cent in the mid 1980s.
World demand for palm oil, used in common products like hand lotion, ice cream and chocolate, is driving the rapid conversion of the pygmy elephants' forests into palm oil plantations.
The island of Borneo, the world's third largest island, is split between the countries of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. It is known for its rainforests, which provide habitat for elephants, rhinos and orangutans, as well as a vast array of distinct creatures, from giant moths to flying squirrels, horn-billed birds to colour-changing lizards.
