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Sumatran tiger

A Sumatran tiger 'caught' in a camera-trap.
Copyright WWF Indonesia.

We are currently setting up a research project on Sumatran tigers. These are the last tigers inhabiting islands, considered Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Worldwide efforts so far have not been enough to avoid Sumatran tiger decline. You can join expeditions for conservation of this endangered species.

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Issues on Sumatran tiger conservation

Conservation is only effective if local communities participate. The attractive prices of tiger parts and the threat it represent to livehoods, however, give little reason for local people to protect it. A study conducted by the Sumatran Tiger Project in Way Kambas National has identified that neighboring villagers perceive few benefits from the park, which may as well represent the feeling of locals toward tiger conservation elsewhere in Sumatra, reporting that ‘unless issues are addressed, conflicts between the park and villagers are likely to escalate and undermine efforts to protect southeast Sumatra’s last tigers’ (Nyhus et al., 1999). In fact, tiger poaching has not shown signs of reduction in Sumatra (Shepherd and Magnus, 2004), and small populations of tigers, which are the majority in Sumatra, have been demonstrated to be vulnerable even if few individuals are removed each year (Linkie et al., 2006).

Similarly, density of tigers have been shown to be positively related to that of their prey (Karanth and Stith, 1999), and prey decline may often be a factor more important than direct persecution in driving tiger populations to extinction (Karanth et al., 2004). Effective tiger conservation strategies need thus to take into account the conservation of tiger's prey. Local communities must somehow perceive benefits for protection of tiger's prey.

Our expeditions will attempt to address this conservation issues by promoting research and ecotourism at the same time, so that important data is acquired while demonstrating to locals that the presence of species may bring socioeconomic benefits from ecotourism.

Karanth, K. U. and B. M. Stith. 1999. Prey depletion as determinant of tiger population viability. Pp. 100-113 in Riding the tiger – tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes (J. Seindensticker, S. Christie, P. Jackson, eds.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Karanth, K. U.; Nichols, J.D.; Kumar N.S.; Link, W.A.; Hines, J.E. 2004. Tigers and their prey: Predicting carnivore densities from prey abundance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 101 (14): 4854-4858.

Linkie, M.; Chapron, G.; Martyr, D.J.; Holden, J.; Leader-Williams, N. 2006. Assessing the viability of tiger subpopulations in a fragmented landscape. Journal of Applied Ecology 43: 576–586.

Nyhus, P.J., Sumianto and Tilson, R. 1999. The tiger – human dimension in southeast Sumatra. Pp 144-145 in Riding the tiger – tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes (Seindesticker J., Christie S., Jackson P., eds.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Sanderson, E; Forrest, J.; Loucks, C.; Ginsberg, J.; Dinerstein, E.; Seindesticker, J.; Leimgruber, P.; Songer, M.; Heydlauff, A.; O'Brien, T.; Bryja, G.; Wikramanayake, E.; Klenzendorf, S. 2006. Setting Priorities for the Conservation and Recovery of Wild Tigers: 2005–2015. WCS, WWF, SMITHONIAN, STF. New York – Washington, D.C 206pp. Download. 22,7 MB.

Shepherd, C.R. and Magnus, N. 2004. Nowhere to hide: The trade in Sumatran Tiger. TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. 108pp. Download. 935 Kb.

NEWS

Female tiger with cubs recorded and filmed for the first time in Central Sumatra by WWF/ PHKA

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Tiger habitat:

Nestle and Unilever ban palm oil from Indonesia
March 18, 2010

Palm oil companies are known to convert Indonesia's pristine forests to palm oil plantations. A major effort from Greenpace has convinced international companies the need to ban this product, shaking the palm oil companies of Indonesia. Now Greenpeace wants Nestle's third party suppliers to follow up.
Jakarta Globe.

Indonesian Ecolabel Institute asked to stop issuing Sustainable Management of Forest to companies that are converting native forests
Bogor, February 9, 2009.

Two national NGOs, Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) and Telapak, urged the Indonesian Ecolabel Institute (LEI) today to stop issuing Sustainable Management of Forest Estate (PHTL) to Industrial Timber Estates (HTI), which convert natural forest or open up peat ecosystems during their operations. Read more.

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Some hope towards reduction in
the deforestation of Indonesian rainforests,
home of Sumatran tigers
November 19, 2009

The Indonesian government today temporarily suspended the license of Asia Pacific Resources International Holding Limited (APRIL) for developing an area of forest and peatland in Sumatra, says Greenpeace.

Further, Members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an initiative developing criteria to improve the environmental performance of palm oil, agreed to declare the Bukit Tigapuluh Ecosystem in Sumatra a 'high conservation value area', the same area that Projeto Puma is developing a project to protect Sumatran tigers.

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Tiger rescued from poachers in
Malaysia perishes from injuries
October 29, 2009

Hunters in tiger range use snares (wire) to catch wild animals. The more the animal struggles to free himself, the more the snare tightens up. This seems to be a quite common situation. In Sumatra, Indonesia, a three-legged tiger was recently photographed wandering in the wilderness, a victim that survived the deadly trap.

Click here for more information.

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WWF Elephant Flying Squad Joins Global Day of Climate Action

For Release: Oct 26, 2009

Riau, Central Sumatra, Indonesia – Four adult elephants and two calves from WWF-Indonesia’s Elephant Flying Squad gathered on Saturday October 24, 2009, in Riau Province to carry banners calling for urgent protection of the remaining forests of Sumatra. Riau has one of the fastest deforestation rates in the world, threatening some of the most endangered species on the planet, including Sumatran elephants and tigers. Click here for the full report.

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Indonesia (april 2009): Eyes on the Forest and Projeto Puma

Eyes on the Forest has acknowledged that expeditions organized by Projeto Puma will benefit conservation efforts in Sumatra. Eyes on the Forest is a 'coalition of three Indonesian environmental organizations in Riau, Sumatra: WWF Indonesia's Tesso Nilo Programme, Jikalahari ("Forest Rescue Network Riau") and Walhi Riau (“Friends of the Earth Indonesia”).
Its investigative nature provide key and the most up-to-date information on the state of the forests in Indonesia, denouncing deforestation and its consequences. Recently it has demonstrated that increase in human deaths from tiger attacks are linked with deforestation caused by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and its associated company, Sinar Mas Group (SMG).