KOTA KINABALU: The authorities must consider the needs of the Borneo pygmy elephants in all their development plans now that the animal has been officially recognised as an endangered species, says an expert.
Dr Nurzhafarina Othman, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, said the Bornean elephant previously lacked such a specific status.
But it has now been acknowledged as a subspecies of the larger Asian elephant under the updated International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
“This highlights the urgent need to consider the plight of these elephants in all development planning,” said Nurzhafarina, who also leads the elephant conservation non-governmental organisation Seratu Aatai.
With the elephant’s newly-acquired status, she said, everyone must now “walk the talk.”
“While we often blame the palm oil industry for habitat encroachment, we must also recognise the significant impact of other developments like the Pan Borneo Highway project and mining activities,” she said.
“It’s time to take recommendations seriously and act on them.”
Nurzhafarina said there must also be efforts to manage elephants at the landscape level, rather than focusing on individual villages or plantations.
“All stakeholders need to... reach a consensus and protect these majestic creatures,” she added.
According to the IUCN Red List, the population of Bornean elephants currently stands at 1,000 individuals with about 400 of them breeding adults.
This is far fewer than the 1,500 estimated by government officials and experts before.
