WWF at work protecting wildlife in Sumatra
Jun 10th, 2010 by wwftravel
Elephant flying squad in Tesso Nilo, Sumatra, Indonesia. © WWF-Indonesia
Sumatra’s tropical forests house thousands of unique species including the last remaining Sumatran tigers and Sumatran rhinos. WWF works hand in hand with local people – empowering them to manage their natural resources to the greatest benefit of current and future generations. Among WWF’s projects:
Elephant flying squads
As forest is cleared for agricultural use, wild elephants are forced to wander in search of food, making farms and plantations an irresistible temptation. On the outskirts of the Tesso Nilo forest, WWF has trained four elephants and eight people to form a “flying squad” that drives wild elephants away from farms and toward forests that can support them. In one village, crop damage from elephants has dropped from nearly $4,800 to $29 a month.
Protecting Sumatra’s vanishing habitat
In 2004 WWF’s partnership with the Indonesian government resulted in the creation of Tesso Nilo National Park on the island of Sumatra. WWF’s research and advocacy helped the government agree to create the park. The Tesso Nilo forest is one the last forest blocks large enough to support a viable population of endangered Sumatran elephants and is home to an important population of critically endangered Sumatran tigers. View animals “caught” by WWF’s camera trap in the park.
Saving the Sumatran tiger
The Sumatran tiger – the most endangered among the tiger subspecies that still survive in the wild—is under severe pressure due to habitat loss and poaching. In 2004, WWF began the first systematic field survey of tigers in the Tesso Nilo landscape. WWF worked with government partners to improve law enforcement, reduce tiger poaching and alleviate human-tiger conflict.
Indonesia commits to save the orangutan
WWF’s orangutan action plan is now the basis for Indonesia’s national conservation strategy. The plan identifies priorities for securing populations and key habitats that are or can be linked together to form a genetically stable meta-population.
Learn more about WWF’s work in Sumatra.
Join WWF’s Circumnavigation of Sumatra expedition, January 3-20, 2011.
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