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The mission of the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program is to assist
PHKA in securing a future for Sumatran tigers in Indonesia. The
program is a collaborative conservation effort between the Directorate
General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA), The
Tiger Foundation (Canada) and the Sumatran Tiger Trust (UK).
The current program represents a progression of earlier field
efforts in Way Kambas National Park in Lampung Province of Sumatra,
where the basic conservation needs of wild Sumatran tigers were
established over five years (1995-1999). During this time groundbreaking
methods to study these elusive animals were developed, simple
but cutting-edge technologies were applied to unravel their secrets,
and many of the first photographs of Sumatra's rarest animals
were obtained. The status of tigers, their prey, habitat needs,
and threats were all established. Trial projects developing strategies
for anti-poaching, intelligence networking and local law enforcement
were also implemented. Finally, a highly qualified team was recruited
and trained, and these valuable human resource assets remain with
the program.
As a pilot phase the Way Kambas project was undoubtedly successful,
providing a testing-ground for tiger conservation management techniques,
many of which have been replicated across Sumatra. However, the
national impact of such small-scale, field-based activities is
always limited. This became particularly obvious following the
economic and social chaos of the 1998 Asian Crisis, when Indonesia
was thrown into political turmoil and conservation issues were
relegated to low national priority. Much of the progress achieved
by the project at a local level was lost overnight.
 Since
the return of national stability, many changes have occurred in
Indonesia. For the first time perhaps, conservation of wildlife,
habitat and natural resources has become a national passion. The
energy and enthusiasm of numerous grass-root level NGOs, organizations
and citizens is now providing hope that conservation can become
a priority on the national agenda.
It is within this framework that the Sumatran Tiger Conservation
Program must now work. Our partnerships and collaborations with
other NGOs and governmental agencies are allowing the Program
to expand its reach into the critical areas of national law enforcement,
political advocacy and public awareness.
As of January 2002 the conservation partnership between the Directorate
General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) of
the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry and The Tiger Foundation was
formally recognized in a Memorandum of Understanding. This MoU
is valid for a five-year period (2002-2007), followed by automatic
extension for a further five years. The Sumatran Tiger Trust has
since been identified as a full partner with this MoU.
Field activities are underway in Way Kambas and Bukit Tigapuluh
National Parks in Sumatra, while other future projects and regional
activities continue to be developed.
Six Month Summary of Developments
- Initiation of field activities in Way Kambas
National Park. Preliminary activities include the initiation
of remote camera monitoring of the core tiger distribution,
the evaluation of current crisis conditions inside and around
the park, and a re-evaluation of local communities changing
attitudes towards the conservation area. Negotiations for the
implementation of two additional Tiger Protection Units were
completed.
- Initiation of field activities in Bukit Tigapuluh
National Park. Agreements were signed to utilize a small concession
area within the park for future anti-poaching base camp development.
Current field activities include the mapping of illegal activities
and boundary problems, the surveying of the general tiger distribution,
and the initiation of remote camera monitoring.
- Discussions are ongoing with PHKA park chiefs
and national directors for implementation of future activities
in Berbak National Park, Bukit Duabelas National Park, Kerinci
Seblat National Park, South Sumatera Province protected area
system, Jambi Province protected area system, and Riau Province
protected area system. This strategic development for future
program expansion will complete the program's coverage of nearly
all primary tiger habitat in the southern and central section
of Sumatra.
- Official support from PHKA and CITES to continue
development of a mobile Tiger Crime Legal Advocacy Team, comprised
of public prosecutors, forensic scientists, experts in forestry
laws, concerned NGOs and police - to support the successful
prosecution of suspects linked to tiger wildlife crimes across
Sumatra.
- A Tiger Law Enforcement Workshop was held in
August 2002. This PHKA-STCP workshop, with support from the
multi-NGO Advocacy Network for Tiger, Rhino and Elephant Law
Enforcement, involved all conservation agencies and park management
staff of Sumatra, as well as all NGO's operating in the field
and at a national level with concerns for tiger, rhino and elephant
conservation. At the workshop participants presented and collated
information on trafficking and tiger-related crimes across Sumatra.
This action is a preliminary step in the implementation of an
island-wide strategy for reducing tiger-specific cases of wildlife
crime. Public relations and media exposure was a strong feature
of this workshop with a public televised burning of stuffed
tigers.
- Development of a partnership between the Program
and the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program to implement an
expanded system of dedicated protection units across priority
tiger habitats in Sumatra.
- Successful apprehension and prosecution of
a tiger poacher in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, resulting
in a sentence of seven months in prison and a fine of IDR 500,000
(US$55). The agent involved in the resale of the poached tiger
was also captured and is being processed through the same courts.
- Development of a cooperative agreement between
the Program and the Directorate of Forest Protection (PHKA)
for a reward and certificate scheme for forestry department,
police and judicial personnel involved in the successful completion
of tiger and wildlife crime-related criminal cases.
- Coordination meetings were held between the
Program and local NGO's in Riau, Jambi and Lampung province
- leading to a motion to declare a provincial moratorium on
all logging within Jambi and Riau areas surrounding Bukit Tigapuluh
National Park.
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