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World |
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Organisations |
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All Rhino Species |
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After two years, the approval process has finally been completed for a Global Environment Facility (G.E.F.) Biodiversity Project to assist initiation of full implementation of rhino conservation strategies and action plans in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Project will provide US $ 2 Million over three years, evenly divided between the two countries.
This Project was initiated at the first of the two UNEP Conferences Among Range States, Consumer States, and Donors in 1992 and 1993. UNDP is administering this Project for the GEF. The Project will be nationally executed and implemented with the AsRSG proving technical coordination and facilitation. It is believed that this is the first GEF Biodiversity Project with species conservation as the focus, although the rhinos will serve as umbrella and flagship species for conservation of the ecosystems they inhabit.
The Project recognizes that there is an emergency for the rhinos in Indonesia and Malaysia which could well be extinct in 3-5 years without the kind of intervention the GEF Project will provide. Full implementation of the rhino conservation strategies and action plans in both Indonesia and Malaysia will require many ore funds than the $ 2 Million being provided by this GEF Project. However, the GEF funds are intended to catalyze and attract other financial support.
The project has 3 major elements, each to be accomplished by specific and measurable outputs.
(1) Enhance the capabilities of conservation agencies (governmental and nongovernmental) to arrest and reverse the decline of rhinoceros due to poacher activity and habitat disturbance: Rhino protection units will be organized, trained, and deployed in both Indonesia and Malaysia (10 in each country). These units will be effectively engaged in both anti-poaching and community outreach programmes. Moreover, they will be able to train more units and serve as models for other rhino areas.
- Improved management structureswith dedicated national coordinators (Rhino Conservation Officers or RCOS) will be established.
- Poacher activity will be reduced to the point of elimination within the areas covered by the units as measured by numbers of traps and poachers detected by patrols and the numbers of rhino lost as revealed by improved surveillance.
- A number of rhino, particularly in Malaysia, will be translocated from isolated situations into the intensive protection zones represented by operational areas of the rhino protection units.
- Monitoring of these rhino by radio telemetry will provide improved information on rhino status and biology needed for the programmes.
- 350 Sumatran rhino (75% global population) and their ecosystems will be preserved.
- A model will be provided for other range states.
(2) Develop more involvement by, as well as benefits and incentives for, local human communities in rhino conservation:
- Persons from the local communities will be employed in the rhino protection units;
- Income generating activities (e.g. eco-tourism) will be delineated and initiated; local communities will develop appreciation of and pride in the rhino, its ecosystem, and their conservation;
- In conjunction with the World Bank WWF Kerinci Seblat programme and possibly other projects to be proposed, baseline data needed to develop an effective community involvement programme will be collected.
(3) Formulate, catalyze, and initiate a comprehensive and sustainable fundingplan for the rhino strategy:
- A strategic funding plan will have been formulated that links target donors with specific modules of the programme.
- Proposals to these donors (governmental and non-governmental inside and outside Indonesia and Malaysia) will be prepared and presented.
- At least one major long-term income generating eco-tourism project will be facilitated.
- The private sector will be more actively involved.
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Fund-raising efforts
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