Arsyad claims to be solely dedicated to the environment. He is not working for an award, but rather for the rescue of the environment in the interest of the earth and the future generation
By
KORNELIS KEWA AMA
·6 minutes read
ARSIP PRIBADI
Arsyad
His name is brief. Arsyad, 45. However, his dedication to the rescue of rugu (Komodo dragons), mangroves and forests in the interior region of East Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has quite a long track record. Everything is done on his own initiative for the sake of environmental conservation in the interest of the coming generations.
Rugu is local people’s word for Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) in East Manggarai. Apart from those at Komodo National Park, the ancient reptiles are also found in East Manggarai and in Nagekeo regency. In Riung Nagekeo, people call komodo dragons mbou.
Contacted on Tuesday (28/2/2023), Arsyad was busily planting mangroves along with Pota elementary school (SD) students in Pota subdistrict, Sambi Rampas district, in the interior of East Manggarai. On the previous day, he had managed to evacuate a rugu entering residents’ settlement. The rugu was tied up and returned to its habitat.
“Since 2006, I’ve been called upon to rescue this animal. At the time, a rugu entered a pig pen, sheep pen, chicken house and residents’ homes. People were frightened and trying to hurt the reptile. I hurriedly asked for permission to enter the cattle owners’ corrals. Breaking in, I saved the rugu. I herded it out of the coops,” said Arsyad.
So far, he claimed he had rescued 13 Komodo dragons in the settlements of Sambi Rampas. Had they not been immediately sent to their habitat, the reptiles could have been killed by residents, being considered a threat.
One case he has never forgotten was the assault of a rugu on a farmer, causing serious injuries. “The man was going to a plantation with his dog. The dog chased a rugu, but it was attacked by the rugu. The farmer wanted to save his dog but he was bitten by the rugu. It was the only Komodo assault on a man that has ever happened,” said Arsyad.
DOKUMEN ARSYAD
Arsyad (right) is measuring the length of a rugu or dragon.
Involving students
In 2007, he was requested to head a hamlet in Pota. In this position, Arsyad’s biodiversity protection activities intensified. Alternately, he visited SD, junior high school (SMP) and senior high school (SMA) students in Pota to get them involved in environmental conservation.
He, for instance, asked school students to plant mangroves in coastal areas, grow Pota’s distinctive trees threatened with extinction and introduced them to several bird species endemic to the subdistrict. All these activities were done to save the environment and prevent the extinction of the local fauna. Especially concerned about mangroves, he has planted about 5 hectares of land with 3,700 mangrove seedlings.
These environmental and social activities are conducted on the 11th of each month. He tours 2 SDs, 4 SMPs and 2 SMAs in Pota. He advises that students’ and teachers’ knowledge should be passed on to parents at home. “Now monitor lizards, wild boars, bats, birds and other forest animals are no longer hunted or trapped as they used to be. They don’t fell trees either, let alone burning them,” he said.
Yet of all the activities, Arsyad prioritizes the protection of rugu, mangroves and coral reefs. Rugu in his region are expected to become a buffer to Komodo National Park’s dragons. Unless they are protected, he fears someday future generation will no longer be able to see rugu firsthand like they can today.
According to Arsyad, the behavior of rugu in Pota is different from that of Komodo dragons at the Komodo National Park. At the park, the dragons are tamer and not afraid of people. The rugu in Pota promptly run away at the sight of men. “Perhaps it’s because [national park] Komodo dragons’ habitat is adjacent to residents’ settlements. Meanwhile, rugu choose to live a long way from settlements and not to mix with men,” said Arsyad, adding the shortest distance between the rugu habitat and settlements was around 500 meters.
Controlling and monitoring rugu are quite difficult. But with continuous social education, people understand better.
The distribution of rugu in East Manggarai is quite extensive, expanding along 35 kilometers with a total area of 6,115 ha in two districts, Sambi Rampas and Elar. The rugu population in the region, based on Arsyad’s record, amounts to 472. But there may still be other rugu not yet monitored.
“Controlling and monitoring rugu are quite difficult. But with continuous social education, people understand better. Now they don’t disturb rugu anymore. If they see rugu in the woods, they always report to me. I check my data, whether they are the ones I’ve seen before or newly monitored ones,” he said.
ARSIP PRIBADI
Arsyad socialized environmental preservation to elementary school students in Pota, East Manggarai, NTT in the Environmental Information Post that Arsyad built himself with his own money.
Arsyad, only an SMA graduate, is an autodidact in gaining knowledge of the rugu’s life. He, for example, knows rugu usually lay eggs in rock holes or brush-turkeys’ nests in the form of earth mounds. Once they lay eggs, they produce 35-55 each. The eggs will hatch four months later. After hatching, young rugu will immediately climb trees to protect themselves. While on the trees, they eat birds’ eggs, geckos, house lizards and grasshoppers.
After attaining the weight of 27 kilograms, they descend from trees. He has also memorized the mating season of rugu, from May to September.
He described the outer skin of rugu as yellowish brown, having been shaded by trees. The Komodo National Park’s dragons live on open plains, so their skin is blackish.
“I’m not working for an award, but rather for the rescue of the environment in the interest of the earth and the future generation.
Arsyad has also set up an information center on the region’s biodiversity and ecosystem. This information station was built with capital derived from a loan supplied by the Pota branch of Bank BRI, worth Rp 15 million (US$977,781). Besides serving as an information center, it also provides a room for visitors who want to spend the night.
For all his endeavors, the NTT Center for Natural Resources Conservation proposed Arsyad be granted Kalpataru Award 2023. He is evaluated as having worked hard to save the biodiversity of East Manggarai.
He claims to be solely dedicated to the environment. “I’m not working for an award, but rather for the rescue of the environment in the interest of the earth and the future generation,” he added.
