Green Daily

The long weekend started with some good news for endangered Sumatran elephants and the critically endangered tigers who live in Sumatra's Tesso Nilo National Park.

Working with the World Wildlife Fund, the Indonesian government agreed to extend the national park, which was initially only 94,000 acres by about 250,000 acres.

One of the biggest challenges for Sumatra is the global demand for its products, particularly palm oil and paper. In the past 25 years, the province of Riau, where the park is located, has lost 65% of its original forest cover, mostly due to the growth of these industries.

The new extension of Tesso Nilo gives the 60 to 80 elephants and 50 tigers who live there official protection and a little more space to roam. Sadly they will still need real protection from poachers and illegal settlements.

The WWF helped establish a coalition of communities that live around the park to help them work together to protect the forest and animals living there. The coalition will also have more influence as a group and can be more productively involved in park management.

This is a step in the right direction for Sumatra. Next step? Let's see some help and protection for their population of critically endangered orangutans!