Indonesia plans to quadruple the maximum jail terms for wildlife animal poachers and traffickers from five years to 20 years, under the revised law proposed by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

The move comes as the Government has faced criticism for failing to devise proper measures to protect wildlife, with many green groups saying the related laws are not strict enough to deter violators.

Indonesia has one of the highest levels of biological diversity on Earth with vast tracts of rainforest and rare animals such as tigers and rhinos.

A critically endangered Sumatran tiger is trapped by poachers in Indonesia’s Kerinci Seblat national park (Photo: AFP)

However, many species have been pushed to the brink of extinction due to habitat destruction and illegal hunting.

The environment and forestry ministry, hence, hopes the overhaul of the old law, which came into force from 1990, could improve the situation.

The World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) welcomed the revision but cautioned that the most important thing is to solve the weak enforcement in remote areas.

(Source: VNA)