Camera catches bulldozer destroying Sumatra tiger forest

A video camera trap installed by WWF and partners has captured footage linking the destruction of a crucial Sumatran tiger forest to the expansion of palm oil plantations in Indonesia's Riau Province. Videos and photos captured in May and June 2010 � released to the public for the first time this month � caught a male Sumatran tiger walking straight to a camera and sniffing it. A week later, the heat-activated-video camera trap documented a bulldozer clearing trees for an illegal palm oil plantation in the same exact location. The next day, the camera recorded a Sumatran tiger walking through the devastated landscape. Bukit Batabuh, where the film was taken, was classified as a protected area by Riau Province in 1994, and categorised as a limited production forest based on Indonesia's 1986 Land Use Consensus, meaning no company can legally exploit the forest. Clearing forest most likely illegal "Because of its status, both as a protected area and limited production forest, the area cannot be developed as a palm oil plantation, therefore any forest clearence �including bulldozing activities to clear the path � strongly indicates this excavation was illegal," said Ian Kosasih, WWF-Indonesia's Director of Forest and Species Program. "The law should be enforced in this matter." "And to stop illegal activities such as this, the palm oil industry should not source its material from farmers or producers who develop their plantations illegally." Since mid-2009, WWF has installed video camera traps in Bukit Batabuh to study Sumatran tiger distribution, habits, and threats they are facing. The wildlife corridor connects Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve and Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, making it a crucial area for tiger conservation. This area is an important habitat for Sumatran tigers "These video camera traps show that Bukit Batabuh area is an important habitat for the Sumatran tiger in Riau, functioning as a wildlife corridor between Bukit Tigapuluh and Rimbang Baling Tiger Priority Landscape, hence it becomes a priority area for tiger conservation," explained M. Awriya Ibrahim M.Sc Director of Investigation and Forest Protection, Ministry of Forestry. "Forest clearance in this area threatens this endangered species because it reduces natural habitat and consequently increases human-tiger conflicts, an unfortunate consequence for both sides. Therefore, we encourage all stakeholders�namely provincial and district level government, business sectors, and communities�to support protection for this landscape. The Ministry of Forestry is investigating this matter and will take strong measure in law enforcement, if this activity is proven violating the law."