Problems of wildlife management in South East Asia

Wildlife management is still in the preliminary stages in most parts of South East Asia whereby the Wildlife Department has been given the lowest priority. In the management of wildlife In South East Asia, there are a number of problem involved. Amongst them include the shooting and killing of wildlife without limitations, licencees taking more game animals than the allowable bag-limits, logging which has destroyed the forest structure and this in turn affects the animal species inhabiting the area, weakness in the wildlife Enforcement Law, Conservation Act and Mining Act, corruptions. Smuggling, lack of Nature Study Centres. lack of management research and incomplete information on wildlife, the fast clearance of lowland forest for agriculture, mining problems, crop rotation and lack of training for staffs at all levels. To overcome the above problems. amongst others are to impose appropriate charges on anybody violating the Wildlife Acts and any other relevant Acts and to create public awareness concerning the necessity of conservation. Also support from decision makers, politicians and the jurisdiction is very important in combating the above problems Wildlife Management in a strict sense is relatively recent in most parts of South East Asia. Game Departments better known as licensing agencies for hunting and trade in wildlife were given low priority. Indescriminate shooting and killing of wildlife and the incidence of licencees taking more game than their bag limits were high. Species which have become endangered or extinct is evident of the absence of sustained efforts iii the conservation of wildlife. Variously defined wildlife management is the art of making land and water produce optimum sustained annual crops of the best species of wildlife for use consistent with utilization of land and water for other purposes. Due to the fertility of lowland forest and the value of timber, most have developed into agricultural lands or logged for wood. As a result lowland tropical rain forest is poorly represented and is fast disappearing The countries of South East Asia are opening up forests at the rate of 20 acres per minute. At the present rate of forest clearance it is estimated that tropical rain forest will disappear in 10 -15 years. With it will disappear most of the wildlife that inhabit lowland areas comprising about 80% of the whole spectrum of mammals. *Logging destroys the forest structure affecting survival of many species of animals particularly those requiring arboreal niches. Oil palm plantations appear to support jungle fowls, leopard and flatheaded cats, cobras, rats and a few species of birds of prey. Tin mines and rice-fields create habitats for a variety of water birds. Indicated are some forms of land utilization beneficial to small groups of mammals and birds but with obvious adverse effects on wildlife in general.