Bhutan commits to protecting Asian rhinos

Five countries in Asia have voiced their commitment to carry out joint conservation efforts to increase the number of rhinoceroses by 3 percent by 2020.

The joint commitment was declared in the First Asian Rhino Range State Meeting in Bandar Lampung attended by delegation members from five Asian countries: Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal.

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said Asia hosted three of the five types of rhinos in the world. However, the rhino populations that were previously widespread across Asia have continued to decrease due to various factors.

“This is why countries attending the meeting have to make commitments to conserve the species,” Zulkifli told The Jakarta Post.

The three types of rhino in Asia are the Indian rhino or the greater one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis), the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinos sumatrensis).

“The size of the three rhino populations currently scattered in Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal amounts to 3,350 individual animals,” said Zulkifli.

He said that this population figure was far smaller than the two types of rhinos in Africa. There are 5,000 black rhinos currently living in their natural habitat while the white rhino populations now number around 20,000 individual animals.

“Through the rhino conservation partnership commitments among these Asian countries, it is hoped that the size of the three Asian rhino populations can be increased by 3 percent,” the minister said.

WWF-Indonesia forest program director, Anwar Purwoto, said all parties, including Indonesia, needed to pay serious attention to protecting both the Javan and Sumatran rhinos from excessive hunting and improving their degraded and fragmented habitats.