Pekanbaru, Riau, July 12 (Antarariau.com)- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is scheduled to officially inaugurate the Zamrud National Park located in Siak District, Riau Province, on July 23, to mark World Environment Day (WED) 2016.
The head of state was also scheduled to release fingerlings into the Siak River, plant a tree, and visit the Sri Indrapura Palace in Siak, Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman noted in a statement, Monday.
"We will celebrate WED 2016 by declaring a fight against the illegal trafficking of wildlife. "Go wild for life" is the theme of the day," he added.
The new national park has 12 species of birds, including Serindit or Loriculus galgulus, which is the icon of Riau Province.
The park also has four species of primates and nine mammalian species. Its lake is home to 14 species of fish, including eight having high economic value.
This year s WED theme encourages the public to celebrate all those species under threat and to take action to help safeguard them for future generations.
This also holds relevance for animal or plant species that are on the brink of extinction within local areas as well as at national or global levels.
The value of environmental crime is currently estimated at US$91-$258 billion, an increase of 26 percent compared to $70-$213 billion in 2014, according to a rapid response report published today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL.
The Rise of Environmental Crime, released on the eve of WED, revealed that weak laws and poorly funded security forces were helping international criminal networks and armed rebels to profit from a trade that fueled conflicts, devastated ecosystems, and threatened species with extinction.
"INTERPOL and UNEP have joined forces to draw global attention to the sheer scale of environmental crime. The vast sums of money generated from these crimes keep sophisticated international criminal gangs in business and fuel insecurity around the world," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner stated.
President Jokowi to Inaugurate Zamrud National Park in Riau
