Livestream
Special Interview
Video Streaming
andi permadi
January
VoI, Jakarta: The population of the Bornean bull (Bos javanicus lowi) in the Belantikan Hulu Forest habitat, Lamandau district, Central Kalimantan province, has fallen to just 20.
"Based on our research data through camera capture in 2018, it is estimated that there are only 2 groups or around 20 Bornean bulls in the Belantika Hulu forest," research coordinator of the Indonesian Orangutan Foundation (Yayori), Gusti Wicaksana, said here on Tuesday.
Yayori's team first conducted research on the Bornean bison in Belantikan Hulu Forest in 2003 by installing cameras at several points, he added.
In that year, it is estimated that 30 to 40 bulls were recorded on camera.
"Since the Belantikan Hulu Forest is not a protected forest, but a production forest with an area of 3 thousand hectares, so people from outside can easily enter, and it's easy to hunt there," he said.
Apart from hunting, the decline in the habitat of the endangered animals can also be attributed to their longer reproductive cycle. Moreover, not all females are productive.
"The food in the forest is quite abundant, such as bamboo, melakai, ferns, and others. Regarding natural predators, the bulls are most often chased by crocodiles when crossing rivers," he informed.
Another threat to the bull population is the logging of forests where they live, which is reducing the size of their habitat.
"Cutting down trees will have an impact on reducing breeding grounds and shelter for bulls and other wildlife," Wicaksana said.
In Central Kalimantan region, the habitats for animals that are more active at night to avoid hunting and have high sensitivity are in Seruyan and Lamandau districts in Belantikan Forest and Schwaner Mountains.
"Efforts to anticipate the decreasing habitat of the Kalimantan bulls are continuing, for example, by providing outreach to the community in four villages, including the villages of Nangamatu, Kahingai, Perikan, and Bintang Mangalih, which are directly next to the Belantikan Hulu Forest," he informed.
Meanwhile, head of the Regional Conservation Section (SKW) II Office of Pangkalan Bun under the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), Dendi Sutiadi, said they are continuing to work with foundations or non-governmental organizations that focus on environmental conservation in conducting research and campaigns.
"Including collaborating with Yayori in conducting research on the Bornean bison, and we also plan to conduct research on the Borneo elephant," he said.
Sutiadi emphasized that the ban on the hunting of Kalimantan bulls refers to Law No. 5 of 1990 concerning the Conservation of Natural Resources and their Ecosystems, which prohibits hunting, killing, preserving, and trading protected wild animals, whether alive or dead.
Violation of the prohibition is subject to a five-year prison sentence and a fine of Rp1 billion. (antaranews)
January
VOI, Jakarta: The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has commenced the fourth batch of the Solar Electricity Initiative (Gerilya) Internship Program and Certified Independent Study (MSIB) for students in Indonesia.
The program aims to support the government's energy transition efforts to achieve the target of a new and renewable energy mix of 23 percent by 2025 and net-zero emissions (NZE) by 2060 or sooner, coordinator of communications, public information services, and administration at the ministry, Arid Riza Abadi, said during the program’s kick-off in Bandung, West Java, on Monday.
He represented the head of communications, public information services, and cooperation at the ministry at the launch.
"The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's commitment in this Gerilya program is to develop and socialize new, renewable energy for the younger generation, as one of the efforts to achieve the NZE target in 2060 or earlier. Hopefully, the Gerilya MSIB Batch IV can run well," he said, according to a statement received here on Tuesday.
The program was initiated to enable students to gain experience and create a professional workforce in the new and renewable energy industry, he added.
"We provide opportunities to students who are about to graduate to improve themselves and gain experience before entering (the job market)," he informed.
Registrations for the program can be made on the website https://kampusmerdeka.kemdikbud.go.id. The registration period will end on January 15, 2023.
The names of participants who pass the administrative selection will be announced on January 18. Their selection will involve two stages: a basic ability test and an essay, as well as an interview assessment and a motivation letter.
In the current batch, the program has been made open for students pursuing social and humanities majors who wish to participate in developing the new and renewable energy sector, he said.
Gerilya, a program initiated by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, has been going on since 2021.
It is intended for students in at least semester V and is aimed to encourage them to take part in independent studies. It is equivalent to 10–20 credits, depending on university approval.
The learning method involves a theoretical course and a team-based project (TBP). In the latter, the participants learn from solar plant companies directly through practices, operation, maintenance, and service. ( antaranews )