Samarinda, E Kalimantan (ANTARANews - Kaltim) - The Bekantan (Nasalis larvatus) which also known as the long-nosed monkey may become extinct in the next 14 years if there is no real action to save the rare animal, a foreign expert said.
"Considering the high rate at which mangrove forests are being destroyed , we can predict the rare animal is likely to become extinct less than 14 years from now if nothing concrete is done to protect them," Stanislav Lhota, a Chechnyan primatologist, said here Saturday.
The main threat to the species' existence was the rapid degradation of mangrove forests which are the animal's habitat, he said.
The researcher from the Zoology Department of South Bohemia University, Chechnya Republic, who is now researching the life of rare animals in Balikpapan Bay, said the main factors responsible for the fact that Bekantan's habitat was shrinking fast was the expansion of oil palm plantations, l industries and residential areas in in coastal and riverine areas.
"The negative impact of the oil palm business on mangrove forests is far much greater than that of other businesses as extensive land conversions have occurred in riverine and coastal areas (especially at Ulu Teluk Balikpapan)," he said, adding that the construction of CPO (Crude Palm Oil) plants on the west coast of Balikpapan had also contributed to mangrove forest destruction.
Mangrove forests on the coasts of Balikpapan Bay constituted one of the world's largest Bekantan habitats. They were hosting 1,400 long-nosed monkeys or five percent of their population in the world, he said.
The existence of the Bekantan in Balikpapan Bay coastal areas was discussed at an International Primatology Congress in Kyoto, Japan, he said, The congress was attended by more than 1,000 primate specialists and also a famous celebrity Jane Goodall, a chimpanaee researcher.
The congress held that the Pulau Balang Bridge construction plan as the dominant factor that endangered the habitat of the rare animal, he said.
"The access road to Balang Island will cause massive forest encroachment and conversion and thus ecological breakdown for the whole ecosystem," he said
