Wildlife under threat

The Star
March 31, 2009

AT the rate of deforestation and habitat fragmentation in their state, Johoreans will have to brace for more human-wildlife conflicts.

The northern and eastern districts of Johor – Segamat, Mersing, and Kota Tinggi – can expect to experience more intrusions of elephants, in particular, into plantations and other farm land.
As forests are cleared. wild jumbos have to be relocated to other areas.

The southern state has witnessed a prolonged conflict with the pachyderm since the late 1980s as forests were cleared for human settlements and converted into agricultural land especially for oil palm plantations by the private sector as well as the Felda (Federal Land Development Agency) scheme.

The problem is to be expected as these forests are important wildlife habitats, judging from the three huge areas gazetted – the Endau-Kluang, Endau-Kota Tinggi and Segamat Wildlife Reserves (WR) – in 1933. Segamat WR has ceased to exist today.

The Department of Wildlife and National Park (Perhilitan) has translocated 99 elephants from this region since 1994. The displaced creatures were mostly relocated to Endau Rompin National Park and the Terengganu side of Taman Negara.

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