Integrated Tiger Protection and Monitoring in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park of Sumatra, Indonesia Part 1

Transcription

1 Integrated Tiger Protection and Monitoring in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park of Sumatra, Indonesia Part 1 A project of the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation, Ministry of Forestry RI, The Tiger Foundation (Canada) and Sumatran Tiger Trust (UK) with the Management Unit of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, Riau & Jambi Provinces, RI. Interim Progress Report (6 months) to

2 EXXONMOBIL Save The Tiger Fund (A project of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation) April to September 2003 Project ID: Grant STF-NFWF No , matching funds from The Tiger Foundation and Sumatran Tiger Trust Project Manager: Waldemar Hasiholan, M.Si PHKA Coordinator: Moch. Haryono, M.Si (chief of Bukit Tigapuluh NP) Local Coordinator: M. Yunus, S.Si (STCP coordinator in Bukit Tigapuluh NP) Technical advisor: Neil Franklin, Ph.D Project Participants: Daniel Walter Sinaga, Ph.D (PHKA) - Law enforcement expert Bastoni (STCP) - Project coordinator, remote cameras Maryo (STCP) - Tiger Protection Unit trainer and unit member Fanani (STCP) - Tiger Protection Unit trainer and unit member Abdul Aziz (PHKA) Tiger Protection Unit trainee Zulbahri (PHKA) Tiger Protection Unit trainee Muji Santoso (PHKA) Tiger Protection Unit trainee Zainal Abidin (PHKA) Tiger Protection Unit trainee Berlan Siahaan (PHKA) Tiger Protection Unit trainee Zupri Helmintanjung (PHKA) Tiger Protection Unit trainee Agung Fatriadi (PHKA) Tiger Protection Unit trainee Aidil Azhar (PHKA) Tiger Protection Unit trainee Uki Basuki (PHKA) Temporary trainee Budi Riana (PHKA) Temporary trainee Lancar Bawok (PHKA) Temporary trainee Supriono (PHKA) Temporary trainee Vera Ciko (PHKA) Temporary trainee Najar Lagu Sinaga (PHKA) Temporary trainee Yusuf Widiyanto (PHKA) Temporary trainee Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 2/33

3 1 Summary Bukit Tigapuluh National Park (approx. 130,000 hectares), one of the most recently gazetted national parks in Indonesia, is a component of the globally significant Tesso Nilo habitat complex and a TCU level I priority habitat for the Sumatran tiger. However the habitat and its population of tigers is severely threatened due to habitat encroachment, illegal logging, tiger-human conflict and tiger/prey poaching. Effective conservation action has been further constrained by the limited resources available to the park. The project described here, partially funded by ExxonMobil Save The Tiger Fund, represents the implementation of a priority action as defined in the national and provincial level MoUs of the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program to initiate field protection, intelligence networks and population monitoring of tigers in the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park. Current progress of the project (now in its 5 th month of operation, having commenced in April 2003) is summarised in this report. During this period the project has focused on training a total of 15 PHKA personnel as future tiger protection unit leaders, utilising these same personnel in ongoing tiger protection and monitoring activities. Discussions between stakeholders, and direct negotiations with villagers themselves, identified cultural constraints to the original plan of recruiting community team members from the indigenous tribes living within the park. A preferable method was identified as the strategic recruitment of people from villages on the periphery of the park, though this has required unforeseen coordination at a district and sub-district level. Local community recruitment is now scheduled for the period just after the fasting month of Ramadhan. Patrols carried out by the units during this reporting period have amounted to 104 patrol days covering 702 km. Joint operations and coordination between the TPU, the national park management staff and local police and military have also been implemented. An intelligence network has been developed in key villages around the park, and historic data has been collected concerning poaching pressure on the park and adjacent forests. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 3/33

4 Between 1972 and 2003 a total of 305 tiger deaths can be attributed to poaching, showing a mean annual rate of tiger loss of 11.8 tigers/year (1980 to 2000). Thirty-five poachers (or independent groups) were active during the period , with a mean harvest per poacher of 9.5 tigers. Peak poaching activity peaked during the 1980s, possibly related to the intense logging and habitat conversion that characterised this decade. Trade in tigers and their products has been prevalent, with 19 independent buyers verified. Currently TPUs continue to covertly monitor those poachers and middle-men suspected of still being actively involved in illegal activities. Limited experience of park rangers in law enforcement and conservation crimes related to wildlife has required the project to invest a large proportion of its time and resources in strengthening PHKA capacity in advance of the recruitment of local villagers to the TPUs. Training activities have included two week assignments of key TPU personnel to the TPU/RPUs of Way Kambas National Park. Similar training has been provided for the PHKA head of forest police in Bukit Tigapuluh, facilitating a 10 day shadow assignment to the head of forest police in Way Kambas. Non-civil police enforcement training (PPNS) for eight PHKA rangers, leading to official certification and powers-ofarrest, has been arranged by the project and will take place in Jakarta during December The management and coordination of TPUs and RPUs in Bukit Tigapuluh and elsewhere has been facilitated by the development of a cooperative agreement between the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program and STCP. This ensures standard field protocols, reporting procedures, data formats and salary scales between RPUs and TPUs. Collaborative coordination, recruitment and training of protection units is considerably more cost-effective and facilitates the ease by which data can be shared between the programs. Camera based monitoring of tigers and prey species has been initiated in the park. Five fixed-based cameras are currently monitoring tiger/prey abundance trends over time. A second set of five cameras is being progressively moved around the park in order to assess the basic distribution of tigers and prey species, and to identify core areas of particularly high biodiversity value. To date 2,212 camera trap days have been achieved, providing 19 independent tiger photographic events for a tiger photo-capture frequency of 0.86/100 trap days. Prey species have been recorded with a capture frequency of 7.59 individuals/100 trap days. These preliminary results can be compared with tiger and prey photo-capture frequencies in the lowland forests of Way Kambas of 3.10 and 15.8/100 trap days respectively. Since the project began local community involvement and support has been identified as a critical factor in the future success and cultural acceptability of TPU in this notoriously difficult region. At the same time many of the indigenous communities living within the park suffer serious welfare issues which, in turn, have potential repercussions for the park itself. A solution to these issues has been developed through a series of village discussions and pilot projects identifying the essential welfare needs of these people, and linking the presence and activity of the TPUs to the ongoing provision of these needs. Finally, other recommendations are made for strategic changes and improved implementation of the TPUs in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park under this project, including the provision of a speedboat and the development of a supporting guard post infrastructure along the periphery, and deep within the core, of the park itself. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 4/33

5 2 Introduction 2.1 Bukit Tigapuluh National Park as a Priority TCU under Threat This park, straddled across the provincial boundaries of Jambi and Riau, encompasses approximately 130,000 hectares of lowland and hill tropical rainforest. It represents a component of the highly threatened, but globally significant, Tesso Nilo forest complex 1. where some of the highest biodiversity indices on earth have been recorded. As a Tiger Conservation Unit 2 the area containing Bukit Tigapuluh National Park is within a TCU Level I region (ID. 148, Kerinci Seblat-Seberida) and adjacent to a TCU Level II (ID. 150, Kerumutan-Istana Sultan Siak). A further adjacent area (ID. 151, Air Sawan) is considered a region requiring immediate survey to investigate its potential for tiger conservation. Important species known to exist within the park include the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), gibbons (Hylobates agilis and H. syndactilus), golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) and clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), among many others. Preliminary remote camera monitoring in BTNP suggests a relatively high density of tigers distributed widely across the park, though no accurate population estimates are yet available. The assemblage of tiger prey species is complete and, as expected for low-lying tropical forests of this nature, prey appears abundant across the park. The park suffers due to the intensive activity of illegal loggers in the production forest areas around its periphery. Weak enforcement and poor boundary demarcation has resulted in significant timber losses from the park. Expansion of estate crops (primarily oil palm plantations) also threatens park integrity in some localities. Despite this, strong lobbying from the current park chief, with the support of local government, has facilitated a strong advocacy movement to implement a buffer zone around the park. Currently a Ministerial decision is pending as to whether these adjacent forests will be gazetted in an expansion of the park s current area. Finally, as a recently designated protected area, Bukit Tigapuluh National Park remains constrained by inadequate funding, poor infrastructure and limited human resources. The majority of the park s recently assigned forest ranger personnel are experienced only within the field of production forestry, hence their knowledge and enthusiasm for biodiversity protection remains low. Formal training and coordination within the confines of an organized and comprehensive park protection and development program is essential to the effective utilization and promotion of these human resources. 1 Bukit Tigapuluh-Tesso Nilo and surrounding forests are argued to represent the most biologically diverse habitats on earth. (Gillison. Vegetation Survey and Habitat Assessment of the Tesso Nilo Forest Complex. WWF report. 2001). 2 In A Framework for Identifying High Priority Areas and Actions for the Conservation of Tigers in the Wild. Dinerstein et al., Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 5/33

6 Figure 1 - Tropical hill forests in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park Figure 2 - Buffer zone and perimeter road along northeast section of the park Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 6/33

7 Figure 3 - Uncontrolled logging along the park boundary 2.2 Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program in Bukit Tigapuluh The Sumatran Tiger Program is a collaborative effort between the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA), The Tiger Foundation (Canada) and the Sumatran Tiger Trust (UK), formalized in a national level MoU covering the period , signed on 22 nd January A PHKA endorsed Five Year Strategy document and annually reviewed Operational Plan defines the activities and geographic areas of focus, including both national level and regional level activities. Under this umbrella MoU, regional agreements can be signed that define local partnerships at the national park and provincial government level. Currently the program has regional agreements with Way Kambas and Bukit Tigapuluh National Parks, and with the local government of Dumai, Riau province. The regional agreement between the program and Bukit Tigapuluh National Park was signed on 17 th April 2002 and is valid in accordance with the national MoU ( ). Specific objectives assigned by PHKA and the national park management unit, abstracted directly from the relevant sections of the MoU and provincial agreements, are included in the appendix of this report. Of relevance to this project is the commitment, as specified in the Local Agreement between STCP and Bukit Tigapuluh National Park signed in April 2002, to implement protection of Sumatran tiger and its prey in its natural habitat by way of anti-poaching patrols, development of poaching and informant networks, and by support of the proper legal processes in tiger-related criminal cases (Article I, pt. 4). This commitment is also highlighted in the MoU and Five Year Strategy for collaboration between PHKA and STCP in Bukit Tigapuluh, as summarised in the table below: Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 7/33

8 Table 1 Points relevant to implementation of tiger protection units in Bukit Tigapuluh, abstracted from Five Year Strategy of MoU between PHKA and STCP ( ). Activity 2. Law enforcement and protection of Sumatran tigers in the wild Development of Tiger Protection Units (TPU) Assist law enforcement and advocacy related to criminal cases of relevance to tigers Develop intelligence networks and informants Goal/output Year I II III IV V Fully functioning and effective X protection teams operating within the park A maximum number of apprehended X X X X X criminals are legally processed resulting in appropriate convictions A complete X X X X X 2.3 Objectives of this project The following section is a summary of the project objectives and justifications taken from the original proposal document submitted to ExxonMobil Save The Tiger Fund: Implementation of Tiger Protection Units The Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program s (IRCP) Rhino Protection Unit (RPU) system of anti-poaching is providing one of the most effective field-based protection models in Sumatra s protected areas. These field teams have been in operation in several parks since 1995, and have more recently been expanded to protect tigers. Objective: The recruitment, training and deployment of three Tiger Protection Units in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and surrounding forest areas. The teams consist of PHKA forest rangers as team leaders and strategically recruited local people as the team members. This will form the core of a protection system that will be expanded to six teams in late 2003 with additional funds provided by The Tiger Foundation and Sumatran Tiger Trust (TTF/STT) Implementation of an intelligence network to assess historic poaching pressures and current threats to tigers Objective: The development of an informant network in the villages and towns surrounding the park. An average of five informants will be managed by the project coordinator operating through a third party, which will be later expanded to ten informants with matching funds from TTF/STT. This undercover network will provide a constant flow of information on the identities, locations and activities of all tiger and prey poachers and middlemen operating in the park area with a view to eventual apprehension and prosecution following presentation of sufficient evidence. Historical rates of poaching from the park and surrounding area will be assessed by intensive interviews with poachers themselves Integration of Management for Rhino and Tiger Protection Units Integration of the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program and Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program s anti-poaching management will provide significant cost-savings, facilitate sharing of information and field data, and provide a core of skilled personnel available to recruit, train and oversee field protection staff. Objective: The Program managers of the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program and the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program will be brought together with adjacent offices in Bogor. A common system of coordination, chain of command, financial reporting and Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 8/33

9 budget requirements will be used to ensure compatibility and synchronization of the two programs anti-poaching efforts. Division of responsibility will be made on a geographical basis, with the Rhino Program Manager responsible for southern Sumatra and the Tiger Program Manager responsible for central Sumatra (including Bukit Tigapuluh NP). The two programs will conduct recruitment and training courses for field personnel jointly. Combined resources of the two programs will be used to ensure maximum success in following up prosecutions of suspects Involvement of Local Stakeholders Objective: Development of a strong-support base in communities surrounding the national park, thus facilitating cooperation between local people and park management in all matters including law enforcement and habitat/species protection. Leaders of local indigenous tribes living within the park, and heads of surrounding villages, will be consulted in the selection and recruitment of team members to form the core of the Tiger Protection Units. These personnel will be taken from a cross-section of villages from within and adjacent to the park, and they will be trained, salaried and facilitated as wildlife stewards of their forests Development of Camera Based Monitoring and Evaluation System for Tiger Protection Units The majority of anti-poaching efforts in Sumatra are based around the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program s system of Rhino Protection Units. Expansion of the system under this grant, to defend a priority tiger habitat with tiger protection units, will provide an opportunity to address one of the perceived weaknesses in the current system. This deficiency relates to the current lack of a scientifically laudable evaluation and monitoring protocol that can characterize long-term population trends of tigers and their prey in response to intensive protection efforts. Remote infrared activated cameras provide a triedand-tested technique for monitoring large mammal population trends in rainforest habitat. Positioning of the cameras in permanent housings within core tiger areas provides an inexpensive yet relatively accurate means of monitoring wildlife activity at sites over multiple years. Frequency of photo-capture in relation to camera trap effort can be utilized as a simple method for monitoring relative population trends over time for both tigers and their primary prey species. Previous field trials from camera monitoring work in Way Kambas National Park (1995 to 1999) suggest that even only a few cameras, over large geographical areas, provides sufficient coverage to show reliable trends over time. Current anti-poaching efforts, including the tiger protection units requested here, will benefit considerably from being able to relate their patrol effort to tiger and prey population trends. In addition, shifts of activity of tigers from one area to another in response to disturbance are quickly identified by the monitoring system. Data resulting from the monitoring system will provide justification for strategic alterations to patrol intensity and geographical focus. Objective: Installation of a small but permanent array of infrared activated remote cameras across a wide geographical area of the park s core tiger population. The cameras will provide continual 24-hour information about tiger and prey population trends. A joint team of project staff and local indigenous people will maintain the units. Adjacent villages will be responsible for the security of the cameras wherever feasible, while the field data will be used to assess the success of tiger protection units in limiting poaching of tigers and their prey. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 9/33

10 2.3.6 Facilitation of Legal Enforcement and Prosecution of Offenders While poachers of tigers are often apprehended in the field, their prosecution and sentencing in courts is a rare occurrence. Deficiencies have been identified at all levels, from lack of funds in the support of apprehension and processing, the misapplication and utilization of current laws by prosecutors, improper methods of evidence procurement, to the transfer of responsibility between forest rangers and local police. At the root of this is a national indifference to wildlife crimes in general, which is reflected throughout the criminal justice system and police forces. Currently many of these weaknesses are being addressed by the synergistic collaboration of a network of local and international NGOs in cooperation with the PHKA (Legal Advocacy Network for Tigers, Rhinos and Elephants). These deficiencies have also been comprehensively portrayed during discussions, and in the proceedings document, of a multi-ngo Workshop on Poaching, Illegal Trade and Possession of Tigers, Rhinos and Elephants (Cipayung 2002) sponsored by this program (see below- Figure 4 - Proceedings of the Workshop on Poaching, Illegal Trade and Possession of Tigers, Rhinos and Elephants (Cipayung 2002). At a local level the problems are as simple as a lack of supporting funds to ensure that apprehensions and evidence seized by forest rangers are actively processed by local police to the point of judicial acceptance. NGOs working at the park level have had limited success in providing this type of support, primarily because of the lack of transparency involved and the high intensity of effort required to follow every step of the complex bureaucratic process. The mechanism employed by the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program, based on release of a standard amount of financial support per suspect following receipt of P21 documents 3, has proven more successful, financially predictable and transparent. Success could be further facilitated by strong advocacy and follow-on legal support from the partnering NGO. Objective: Facilitation of prosecution of conservation law offenders through cooperation between PHKA unit leaders, TPU project coordinator, park chief and local police and judiciary. Support funds will be made available to park management, on completion of P21 forms, ensuring that cases reach the courts based on appropriate charges. Back up in this legal process will be provided by the CITES Tiger Enforcement Task Force operating at a national and regional level in coordination with the STCP Program Manager. 3 Completion of the P21 form denotes official acceptance of the case by local courts based on satisfactory evidence and a clear charge according to stated laws. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 10/33

11 Integrated Tiger Protection and Monitoring in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park of Sumatra, Indonesia Part 2 A project of the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation, Ministry of Forestry RI, The Tiger Foundation (Canada) and Sumatran Tiger Trust (UK) with the Management Unit of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, Riau & Jambi Provinces, RI. 3 Progress April to August Management, coordination and collaboration During this period progress has been made in improving management of, and coordination between, Tiger Protection Units in Bukit Tigapuluh and elsewhere. The TPUs implemented here represent an expansion of the Rhino Protection Unit concept as managed under the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program (IRCP) between 1995 and the present day. As a proven and efficient means of maximising effective species protection deep in the field, the RPUs have since been implemented in Bukit Barisan Selatan, Kerinci Seblat, and Ujung Kulon National Parks and more recently, under this program, to include additional TPUs in Way Kambas National Park. At a national level the collaboration between the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program and Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program has been defined in an umbrella agreement, witnessed by PHKA, and signed by the parties on 22 nd January This collaboration ensures a cost-effective use of combined resources between the programs, minimising management overheads and maximising the ease by which data can be shared and exchanged between parties. On a national level coordination of TPUs and RPUs is achieved by the close working relationship between the respective program managers of IRCP and STCP. The process of staff recruitment and training of TPU personnel has been synchronised with the IRCP, while reporting systems, financial accountability and field database management have all been similarly replicated. Day-to-day coordination of TPUs is currently carried out by the STCP project coordinator (M. Yunus, S.Si) in Bukit Tigapuluh, in collaboration with the chief of the national park (Ir. M. Haryono, M.Si). As the number of teams increases a separate TPU local coordinator will be recruited. The STCP project coordinator reports regularly to the chief of national park and the program manager. The close working relationship between the project coordinator and the chief of park has ensured a high level of effectiveness and efficiency throughout this development phase. The program manager (Ir. Waldemar Hasiholan, M.Si) is responsible for reporting to the PHKA at Director and Director General level in Jakarta. The activities, management and coordination structure developed during this period are more fully described in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on January 22 nd Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 11/33

12 2002 between The Tiger Foundation, the Sumatran Tiger Trust and the PHKA for the period 2002 to The STCP is committed to collaborating with other organisations involved in active field protection of tigers and other key species. During this period the TPU component of STCP has collaborated with Flora and Fauna International s Orang-utan Protection Units by providing field training of new recruits in collaboration with the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program at Way Kambas. Discussions relating to co-management and coordination of additional protection units in Bukit Tigapuluh are also under way with Paneco Foundation, operating in the southern Jambi section of the park. Asiatic Persada plantation of Jambi province continues to request the cooperation of the project in providing training for the 16 TPU personnel that it employs on its land. This is tentatively scheduled for the end of Coordination meetings, facilitated by the park chief, were initiated to increase collaboration with the WWF tiger poaching teams operating within Bukit Tigapuluh. However, despite early indications that cooperation was mutually desirable, the scaling down of WWF presence in the park during 2003 proved a constraint to the finalisation of these discussions. 3.2 Selection, recruitment and training of TPU personnel As described in more detail in a later section, early work in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park has led to two important conclusions with significance for the TPU team selection and recruitment process. The first of these was that the PHKA forest police of the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park staff, who represent the law enforcement, arms-bearing leaders of the TPUs, are generally lacking in experience and confidence in relation to conservation and active field-based protection. With the program s current target of ultimately supporting between 6 and 8 TPUs in the park, it was realised at an early stage that a constraint to implementation would be the lack of appropriately skilled PHKA unit leaders. Therefore the training and selection process during this period has focused on developing the necessary skills, experience and confidence in a cross-section of PHKA forest police assigned to Bukit Tigapuluh National Park. These forest police personnel, while undergoing intensive training under the supervision of the project coordinator, were utilised to form a core of Tiger Protection personnel used strategically as and where possible. It is hoped that this focus on PHKA personnel during the initial stages of TPU implementation will provide a core of skilled team leaders ideally placed to take on responsibilities for leading future additional recruits from the local communities. A second conclusion was that the local community team members of the units should not be recruited, as originally planned, from the indigenous tribes (Talang Mamak) living within the park, but should be strategically selected from villages living along the periphery of the park. This decision has been made based on the overriding need for the enforcement activities of TPU members to be respected by the notoriously resistant communities in this region. In relation to local community recruitment, discussions and coordination have occurred between the project coordinator, park chief and local sub-district and village chiefs of villages adjacent to the northeast section of the park. Agreements have been made that will ensure a representative cross-section of recruits from the dominant ethnic and interest groups surrounding the park. Candidates for recruitment will then be subject to the standard RPU/TPU selection process, carried out over a week, in the presence of the project coordinator, program training committee (in collaboration with the Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 12/33

13 Rhino Conservation Program), chief and staff of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and, most importantly, sub-district chiefs from the target villages. This recruitment process, designed to maximise the acceptability of TPU enforcement to local communities, will be implemented in synchrony with the signing of declarations of compliance, by the same sub-district and village chiefs from which recruits have originated. Final training of successful candidates is currently scheduled for November Training activities during this period have focused on the development of PHKA forest police as future TPU leaders, and also on PHKA personnel from the park staff directly involved with law enforcement. Activities that have been carried out are summarised below: On-site training of PHKA team leaders Under the supervision of the project coordinator, intensive field training of a total of 15 PHKA personnel was carried out during this reporting period (see Table 2). The relatively limited experience of these personnel in conservation and fieldbased protection activities has necessitated that training and education commence at a basic level, achieved by general involvement of these counterparts in all project activities. General fitness and forest skills have been developed by supervised field patrols related to both protection and camera monitoring. Familiarisation with standard methods for recording prey, habitat, tiger and human threat data in the field has been achieved, including the use of GPS and rapid assessment form sheets for consistent recording of field information. The TPU personnel have been monitored during protection and law enforcement procedures, including during joint security operations with the national park management unit. This on-the-job training period, integrated with ongoing tiger protection activities, will be continued up to a point where team leaders are highly proficient and local community members have been recruited and are ready for training. PHKA national park staff trained in tiger protection and conservation methods during this period are summarized below. Several of these staff will, following final recruitment of the local community team members, represent the unit leaders of future TPUs, though the final composition of the team may be subject to further alteration:- Table 2 - PHKA personnel trained in tiger conservation and protection by the project during this period (*denotes ongoing intensive activities as future member of TPU, though this may be subject to further change) No Name Position 1* Abdul Aziz Forest ranger 2* Zulbahri Forest ranger 3* Muji Santoso Forest ranger 4* Zainal Abidin Forest ranger 5 Berlan Siahaan Technical staff BTNP 6 Zupri Helmintanjung Forest ranger 7 Uki Basuki Technical staff BTNP 8 Budi Riana Technical staff BTNP 9* Agung Fatriadi Technical staff BTNP 10* Aidil Azhar Technical staff BTNP 11 Lancar Technical staff BTNP Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 13/33

14 12 Bawok Supriono Forest ranger 13 Vera Ciko Forest ranger 14 Najar Lagu Sinaga Forest ranger 15 Yusuf Widiyanto Forest ranger Intensive work experience in Way Kambas NP for PHKA unit leaders In cooperation with the park chief and STCP project coordinator of Way Kambas National Park, three PHKA TPU personnel were assigned to ongoing RPU/TPU program activities for a 2 week period. This intense on-the-job training experience has allowed the TPU team leader trainees to appreciate the intensity, enthusiasm and work levels of protection teams. The trainees spent the majority of their time in the field alongside actively patrolling units, witnessing first hand the process from capturing of suspects to surrendering them to the national park office and district police. The project plans to send a second batch of trainees for this training at a later date, possibly leading to an exchange program between protection units in these two parks. Figure 5 - Coordination meetings between park, NGO and local government (Kabupaten Tebo) Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 14/33

15 Figure 6 - TPU-PHKA patrols along national park boundary Figure 7 - PHKA-TPU patrols and tiger/prey surveys deep inside the park Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 15/33

16 3.2.3 Law enforcement training for PHKA chief of forest police A protection-related deficiency recognised early during this reporting period was the lack of experience of the national park management unit in effectively processing suspects of wildlife conservation crime. Most legal enforcement experience has focused on issues relating to illegal logging, while species related crimes have received less attention. A key PHKA person involved in this process is the park s chief of forest police. He represents the link between enforcers in the field (including TPUs), the civil police and the justice department. As such he is responsible for overseeing the collection of evidence, the documentation of cases, capture and surrendering of suspects to civil police. Following that he is expected to follow-up the developments of criminal cases, lobbying and providing expert witness accounts where required. Recognising the need for increasing capacity in this particular area the project has collaborated with the STCP coordinator in Way Kambas National Park, the PHKA management unit of the park, and the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program to provide 2 weeks of intensive work experience training to the BTNP chief of forest police. Assigned to the base camp of STCP activities in Way Kambas National Park, the TNBT forest police chief was able to shadow activities of TPU and RPU in the park, while working alongside the PHKA chief of forest police from Way Kambas itself Legal enforcement training (PPNS) at the national level Not just in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, but in many other parks across Sumatra, there remains a severe shortage of PHKA forest police with the required training and certification for legal processing of suspects. PPNS training is provided by the civil Police in Jakarta, and consists of a strictly defined syllabus delivered over a month of intensive training, leading to official certification of the trainee as possessing similar powers of arrest as civil police. While there is an ongoing program at the Department of Forestry to provide this training to park personnel, in reality the current rate of implementation is not inline with the urgent need. This becomes a particularly acute problem with TPU and RPU projects, where each unit requires a PPNS qualified team leader. The STCP program manager and CITES Tiger Enforcement Task Force representative in Indonesia (Daniel W. Sinaga, PhD) have recently held discussions with the training section of Department of Forestry and the national Police. An outcome of this has been the agreement to hold a PPNS training course of 1 months duration outside the standard civil service training schedule. Approximately 30 places will be available on this course based in Jakarta, which is currently scheduled for the end of STCP has committed to covering the costs of sending a total of 8 personnel from Bukit Tigapuluh and Way Kambas TPUs, with additional places being taken by the Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program. The STCP is currently in the process of contacting other partner NGOs in Sumatra (WCS, WWF, FFI) and national park management units, to offer places on this training course. The registration and training fees are estimated at Rp 5,000,000/person for the month. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 16/33

17 3.3 TPU field patrols In 5 months since initiation of the project in April 2003 a primary focus has been the onsite training of PHKA personnel assigned to the Tiger Protection Units. The training has been integrated with ongoing field patrols which, since July 2003, have developed into independent PHKA-TPU patrols. Due to security concerns relating to remote cameras placed in the field, the TPUs have also been active in reducing the risk of camera theft. Finally, TPUs operating under this project have played a full and active role in supporting the national park management, by involvement with joint operations against logging and other illegal activities. Primary areas of focus during this period have been the Resorts of Keritang, Talang Lakat, and Siambul, and the region of Semerantihan. Considerable patrol effort has also been expended around the 15 remote camera sites in the core of the park around Camp Granite. Data relating to the extent of these field patrols is summarised in Table 3 below: Table 3 - Summary of patrol days and distance covered (motorcycle and on foot) by units during period April to August Month Unit patrol days Unit patrol distance (km) Motorcycle On foot April May June July August TOTAL Figure 8 - PHKA TPU team leader capturing a suspect involved in illegal logging during joint operations with the national park Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 17/33

18 Figure 9 - Illegal firearms confiscated by TPU-PHKA during joint operations with national park Figure 10 - Training of PHKA- TPU recruits in GPS, mapping and route finding Figure 11 - Training in identification of tigers and prey species from secondary signs Figure 12 - Overnight accommodation of TPU while in the field Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 18/33

19 Figure 13 - Overnight accommodation of TPU while in the field 3.4 Remote camera monitoring of tigers and their prey The long-term population monitoring of tigers and their prey by remote camera is an integral component of this tiger protection project. Tiger and prey photo capture rates, obtained by relatively low intensity remote camera monitoring, is sufficient to provide an estimation of population trends over time, which can then be used as an evaluation mechanism for the success or failure of field protection activities and other management interventions. These indices of abundance obtained by the fixed-base cameras will later be correlated with tiger density and park population estimates obtained as a separate intensive camera monitoring activity. Five Trailmaster remote cameras are currently installed at fixed sites in the region surrounding Camp Granite within the core of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park. The cameras are operational 24 hours per day and maintained on a weekly basis by project staff. Data obtained from the cameras is collated to provide capture rate frequency for target species (photo-captures per 100 trap days). These fixed site cameras are complemented by an additional set of moveable cameras which are being systematically employed to assess the wider distribution of tigers across the park. A total of 15 separate locations have been sampled in this way to date. It is likely that the future activities of TPU teams will be moved in response to data obtained by this camera work, where protection will strategically shift to focus on the highest densities and most intensely threatened local distributions of tigers. Remote camera monitoring and tiger population estimation in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park will be described fully in a separate report at a later date. Camera data summarised here (Table 4 below) is relevant only to the long-term monitoring of tiger and prey population trends as estimated by photo-capture rates of target species. Since this work is at a preliminary stage no further analysis is included here, but will be carried out at the end of the first year of operations when the data set is complete. Tiger and prey photo-capture rates in the table below should be viewed as preliminary data which may be significantly affected by seasonal and other factors. A selection of tiger photographs obtained during this study are included in the appendix of this report. Although caution is necessary at this early stage, preliminary comparison of these tiger and prey species capture rates with the mean annual rates obtained in Way Kambas (period , 5 years data, total 11,381 camera trap days) are interesting. In the lowland rainforest of Way Kambas National Park tiger and prey species capture rates were both considerably higher at 3.10/100 trap days and 15.8/100 trap days respectively. As a note of interest the remote camera photographs obtained of clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park suggest an unexpectedly high population density, with a total of 29 independent photographic events for a capture frequency of 1.31/100 trap days. Other species identified by remote cameras during this period are summarised in Table 5 below. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 19/33

20 Table 4 - Summary of remote camera data as of 31 August 2003 showing capture frequencies for tigers and prey Remote camera data type No. of fixed-based camera sites used for population trend monitoring 5 No. of additional cameras used to establish distribution of tigers and prey across BTNP 5 Total no. of sites sampled 15 Total number of camera trap days achieved 2212 No. of tiger photographs obtained (independent events) 19 Tiger photo-capture frequency (photos/100 trap days) 0.86 No. tiger prey photographs obtained (independent events) 168 Prey photo-capture frequency (photos/100 trap days) 7.59 Table 5 - Species recorded by remote camera in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park Common name Argus pheasant Binturong Plantain squirrel Golden cat Sambar deer Sun bear Porcupine Long-tailed macaque Pig-tailed macaque Barking deer Yellow-throat martin Clouded leopard Sumatran tiger Leopard cat Malayan tapir Monitor lizard Wild dog Wild pig Bearded pig Lesser mouse deer Latin name Argusianus argus Artictis binturong Calosciurus notatus Catopuma temincki Cervus unicolor Helarctos malayanus Histric braciura Macaca fascicularis Macaca nemestrina Muntiacus muntjak Mustella flavigula Neofelis nebulosa Panthera tigris sumatrae Prionailurus bengalensis Tapirus indicus Varanus salvator Cuon alpinus Sus scrofa Sus oi Tragulus javanicus 3.5 Assessment of poaching pressure and illegal trade The TPUs are supported by information relayed from a growing network of informants deployed in villages and towns surrounding the park. This intelligence network, nurtured carefully during its development stage between January and August 2003, involves the anonymous employment of key local people, where stipends are paid on receipt of information verified by the project coordinator and network liaison point. Currently an average of four informants per month have been employed by the project, though additional PHKA personnel have been assigned the task of collecting more wide-ranging Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 20/33

21 historical data relating to tiger poaching. Gathering of data relating to illegal poaching and trade in tigers and their products has represented a core activity of the project during The STCP project coordinator, operating through an anonymous third party, currently coordinates the informants. Data obtained is independently verified by the project coordinator before acceptance into the project database. Information sought has included the locations, identities and activities of tiger poachers with a history of operating within the park and its surrounding area. Information has also been collected relating to the market price of tiger skins and body parts at various points along the trade and supply route, and over time. Investigations also cover the nature and extent of trading routes for these illegal tiger products. To date the investigations have been successful in uncovering an astonishing rate of poaching from the Bukit Tigapuluh region. Verifiable data obtained can reliably account for 305 tiger deaths during the period 1972 to 2003 (see Table 6 at end of this section). The rate of loss of tigers from the ecosystem is estimated at approximately 9.8 tigers/year for this period, though the annual loss of tigers varied widely over the 32 years covered here (see Figure 14 below). Obviously data such as this, relying on direct interview with the poachers themselves wherever possible, becomes increasingly difficult to obtain the further back in time the investigation progresses. It is possible that many of the poachers operating in periods prior to 1980 have either died or have moved out of the region, and therefore we consider this early data to be an underestimation of the true extent of poaching pressure prior to Similarly the closer we approach the present day, the less easy it is to obtain information relating to poaching through this particular method. For this reason the period 2000 to 2003 is also assumed to underestimate the true extent of poaching in the region. Other methods of poaching and trade monitoring are currently being implemented to compensate for this deficiency. However, for the purposes of estimating historic rates of poaching in the region we consider data from period 1980 to 2000 to be most representative, showing an estimated rate of loss of 11.8 tigers per year Tigers poached per annum Year Figure 14 - Estimated number of tigers poached per annum in the Bukit Tigapuluh and surrounding forest area from 1972 to 2003 (n=305) Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 21/33

22 The tiger deaths recorded here are attributed to 32 individual poachers or groups, with the average poacher accounting for a mean harvest of 9.5 tigers during the study period (see Figure 15 below). There was a large variation between maximum and minimum harvest by poacher, with the highest recorded number of tiger deaths attributed to poacher ID #7 (identity recorded as: Axxxx of Kelesa). 60 Tigers poached by individual poacher or group Poacher ID Figure 15 - Number of tigers killed by individual poacher or poaching group in Bukit Tigapuluh and surrounding forest area from 1972 to 2003 (n=305). A peak in poaching activity (number of poachers or poaching groups active) was noted during the 1980s, a decade characterised by unprecedented rates of land conversion and logging in Riau province. This figure also shows that several of the poachers identified have continued their illegal activities up until recent times. These poachers are currently being covertly monitored by the TPUs, though information suggests that only one of the groups remains active. The TPUs and informants will continue to monitor these groups until either they are confirmed as no longer active or, if they still are, until sufficient evidence has been obtained to mount a legal case against them or they can be apprehended directly in the field. Similarly the TPU informant network continues to identify and monitor the activities of various middlemen and taxidermists involved in the illegal trade of tiger products. Data summarised in Table 6 below represents the identification of 19 independent buyers of dead tigers and their products, though it is clear that only a few of these individuals have been responsible for the vast majority of trade. Informants will continue to monitor the activities of these people to assess their current involvement. Cases will be developed leading to arrests as further information arises. NOTE: Due to the sensitive nature of these investigations only limited information is provided here. Detailed reports are maintained and distributed to PHKA, and will be more widely distributed at an appropriate time. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 22/33

23 Figure 16 - Joint enforcement operations between park management and STCP to limit illegal logging in the park Figure 17 - Illegal logging camp Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 23/33

24 Table 6 - Poachers active, and tiger deaths recorded, in the Bukit Tigapuluh -Tesso Nilo ecosystem between 1972 and No Name of poacher Current address of poacher Location of poaching Method of poaching Total tigers poached Buyer of tiger Year(s) of activity 1 Axxxxxx Pekan Heran T. Jerinjin, P. Kasai Firearm Bxxxxxx Pekan Heran Kilan Firearm Jxxxxxx Sorek Sei Parit Firearm Sxxxxxx Anak serka Senyalang Sling trap 6 Axxx (Tembilahan) Hxxxxxx Batu Ampar Sei Akar, Gangsal / Datai Sling trap Txxxxxx Rantau Langsat Gangsal, Temberan, Meyasih Sling trap 5 Rxxxx (Sei Akar) Other details 7 Axxxxxx Kelesa Sp.Korindo, Sei Akar, Usul Temberan, Meyasih, Lahum Sumai Sling trap 56 Kxxxx (Rengat), Axxx (Tembilahan), Axxxx (Jambi), Axxxx (Jambi), Sxxxx (Jambi), Mxxxx (Jambi) Bxxxxxx Kelesa Keritang, Sei Akar, Sp. Korindo 9 Mxxxxxx Seberida T. Lakat, Seberida, Sp. Korindo, PK. Kasai Sling trap Sling trap Jxxxxxx Kelesa Sp. Korindo Sling trap 4 Kxxxx (Rengat) Uxxxxxx Kelesa Sp. Korindo Sling trap 2 Kxxxx (Rengat) Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 24/33

25 No Name of poacher Current address of poacher Location of poaching Method of poaching Total tigers poached Buyer of tiger Year(s) of activity Other details 12 Axxxxxx Ratau Langsat Temberan Sling trap 1 Kxxxx (Rengat) Mxxxxxx Siambul Siambul Tumbak Tiger entered house 14 Sxxxxxx Aur Cina Aur Cina Poison/sling 8 P. Baru, Rengat, trap Jambi 15 Axxxxxx Aur Cina Dencalang, Gangsal Firearm 3 Sxxxxx (Sei Akar), Kxxxxx (Sei Akar), Axxxx (Rengat) 16 Mxxxxxx Pejengki Paya Balam, Sei. Parit, Sei. Limau, Pebidaian Firearm Sxxxxxx Puntianai Puntianai Sling trap 2 Rxxxx (Sei Akar) Rxxxxxx Batu Papan Aur Cina, Puntianai, Firearm Sipang 19 Rxxxxxx P. Kasai P. Kasai Spear Tiger entered house 20 Dxxxxx A. Talang A. Talang Sling trap Mxxxxxx Lubuk Kandis Lubuk Kandis Spear 1 Dead tiger buried 1980 Tiger entered goat pen 22 Uxxxxxx Pekan Heran Lubuk Kandis Firearm Uxxxxxx A. Talang A. Talang Spear Tiger entered chicken pen 24 Mxxxxxx A. Talang A. Talang Sling trap Gxxxxxx Lubuk Sungkai Cinaku Kecil Sling trap Nxxxxxx Palembang Pemayungan/Semambu Sling trap 17 Palembang Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 25/33

26 No Name of poacher Current address of poacher Location of poaching Method of poaching Total tigers poached Buyer of tiger Year(s) of activity 27 Sxxxxxx Pemayungan Pemayungan Sling trap 1 Bungo Axxxxxx Talang Jagul Talang Jagul Simple rifle 1 - Mar Rxxxxxx Lirik Sungai Parit Simple rifle 1 Staff BRI (Padang) Jun Xxxxxxx Batang Gansal Sungai Tulang Jul Rxxxxxx 32 Hxxxxxx (Perbakin) Taman Arang/Tebo Tebo Semerantihan Sling trap Pxxxx staff PT Dalek), Axxxx (staff PT Dalek), Axxxx (Bungo) Semerantihan/PT Regunas Hunting firearm Other details In oil-palm plantation TOTAL TIGERS VERIFIED AS POACHED ( ) 305 Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 26/33

27 Integrated Tiger Protection and Monitoring in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park of Sumatra, Indonesia Part 3 A project of the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation, Ministry of Forestry RI, The Tiger Foundation (Canada) and Sumatran Tiger Trust (UK) with the Management Unit of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, Riau & Jambi Provinces, RI. 3.6 Community cooperation and local support There are six legal settlements along the Gangsal River within the park. Primarily the inhabitants of these villages are from the indigenous Talang Mamak tribe who have considerable historic association of, and cultural adaptations for, living in this ecosystem. Under normal circumstances, providing only traditional forms of agriculture and forest utilisation are employed, these people are well known for their ability to live sustainably within the forest with minimal impact on the ecosystem. An immediate priority is to ensure that the current settlements do not expand and that no unsustainable encroachment occurs arising from uncontrolled agriculture. A further priority associated with this is the social support of these deprived communities to improve their welfare in return for adherence to sustainable means of livelihood. Ultimately a goal of any project working in this area should be to facilitate, through natural means, the gradual migration of people out of the core park area. Meetings and discussion groups are currently being held with indigenous tribes living in the 6 Talang Mamak settlements on the Gangsal River. Information collected during these sessions includes: Current human population levels, principal means of livelihood of these people, intensity and types of agriculture employed, dependence upon natural forest products, economic status and basic aspirations. The stakeholder meetings have also sought to identify specific means by which the project can support the communities, in return for which full cooperation with the TPUs can be achieved. Finally the direct involvement of these communities in the active protection of the park and its tigers has been investigated. During these discussions the following information has been obtained, all with significance for future TPU operations and general park protection: 1. The general welfare and morale of these communities (specifically the Talang Mamak) is poor, where lack of resources, skills and confidence prevent these people from migrating to other areas outside the park boundaries. 2. The low levels of confidence and self-esteem that characterise the Talang Mamak people are related to their lack of education (inability to read and write in general), Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 27/33

28 poor health and inability to generate income over and above their immediate dayto-day needs. 3. Immediate welfare needs of the Talang Mamak people living within Bukit Tigapuluh are based around three main themes: basic education for children, access to healthcare, access to agricultural expertise and organic pesticides, and inability to communicate with the outside world. 4. A universal aspiration of the adults living within these communities is that their children grow up to be confident and educated enough to migrate and seek a livelihood in regions outside the park. 5. Lack of adequate healthcare and availability of simple medicines has resulted in debilitating levels of sickness through the villages, high infant mortality, and general inefficiency in tending crops and harvesting forest products. In August 2003 a pilot study collaboration was carried out between the program, the national park management unit, Batang Gangsal Health Department Clinic, and the chief and local administration of Batang Gangsal sub-district. Medicines, health supplements and baby milk formula were distributed to six settlements along the Gangsal river, and medical consultation and treatment provided to 61 patients from these villages. Diagnosis of prevalent medical conditions revealed that malaria, gastro-intestinal infections, skin diseases and respiratory problems account for the majority of illness in these villages. Tiger Protection Unit leaders facilitated at the welfare sessions as a means of developing communication and a close relationship between the communities and TPUs. 6. The Talang Mamak people have an intrinsic pride in the Bukit Tigapuluh region and are philosophically and morally at odds with other migrant communities that seek to destroy the park. These indigenous people also have a cultural association with the tiger and forest wildlife and, while not entirely immune to the temptation of poaching, can be employed, as a component of a wider program, as effective stewards of their own ecosystem. 7. The Talang Mamak people living within the park are enthusiastic about the setting up of TPU base camps within their villages, relishing the interactions and socioeconomic benefits that the presence of these personnel would bring. These findings have crucial significance for the park and, as a result, have led to a strategic shift in the original objectives of the TPU project. Originally the project had planned to recruit additional TPU members from the Talang Mamak villages within the park. Feedback obtained during the recruitment and selection process, discussions with national park management, and from indigenous community discussion groups described above, has led the project to believe that maximal benefits will arise by a different approach. Additional TPU members are therefore being selected from villages surrounding the park, in conjunction and close collaboration with village leaders, subdistrict and district heads, ensuring a team composition of strategic value in terms its acceptability to the multitude of ethnic groups living adjacent to the park. This is described in more detail in a previous section. The indigenous component of the protection plan for the park and its tigers will be developed in a different manner, and intrinsically linked to the general welfare and community support of this particularly deprived ethnic group living deep, as identified during recent stakeholder meetings. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 28/33

29 Currently a pilot project is underway to construct a forest TPU post at the Datai settlement on the Gangsal River. This post will, in addition to serving as an overnight shelter and communication post for TPUs operating deep within the core of the park, provide the following community benefits: 1. Education: In collaboration with the local education department a group of trainee teachers will be facilitated and located at the TPU post in the remote Datai settlement providing basic education to a range of age groups. 2. Healthcare: In collaboration with the local health department a doctor will be facilitated to provide regular consultations and dispensation of essential medicines from the TPU post. The costs of medicines will be subsidised by the project, though sponsorship from national pharmaceutical companies is currently being sought. 3. Agricultural support: In collaboration with the local agricultural department and assigned experts on sustainable agriculture and low-impact pesticides, the TPU post will represent a focal point for periodic consultations with local farmers. Low environmental impact solutions are being sought for the resolution of the periodic infestations that result in rice and other crop loss. An additional pilot project currently being implemented is the planting of Jerenang rotan, a species of culturally protected rattan (based around a Talang Mamak social taboo) that produces a valuable and easily marketable resin (current market price of Rp 350,000/kg) while requiring minimal intervention and maintenance. Pilot study: healthcare consultation and distribution of medicines in Talang Mamak villages Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 29/33

30 Talang Mamak traditional transport along the Gangsal river inside the park Talang Mamak family in Datai village 4 Summary of plans for next period Tiger protection units patrolling, remote camera monitoring and intelligence gathering will continue during the period October 2003 to April Additional activities planned for this period are summarised below: Construction of a community/tpu post at Datai settlement on the Gangsal River in the core of the park. The post will be equipped with radio communication equipment, and designed to safely store medicines, agricultural products, and TPU field equipment. The building will provide sleeping accommodation for 6 persons. The post will also serve as a community meeting point and centre for education, healthcare and agricultural support. Trial assignments of appropriate personnel from the local health, agriculture and education departments will be attempted and monitored by the project coordinator. Renovation of Camp Granite facilities to provide TPU base camp accommodation and communication post; suitable for long-term housing of 20 staff and providing office and work space for the TPU coordinator and team members. This infrastructural development has been delayed until the end of the rainy season. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 30/33

31 Construction of the first in a series of strategically position guard posts along the ex-logging roads running the northeast perimeter of the park. These posts will have basic VHF communication facilities, provide storage space for equipment, food and motorcycles, and basic sleeping accommodation for a team of four. The post will be accessible by motorcycle and provide an overnight facility during motorcycle patrols along the park s periphery. Overtime, as more guard posts are developed, local people will be employed to guard the posts and provide basic radio coordination with the central TPU headquarters at Camp Granite. Figure 18 - Camp Granite to be renovated as the main headquarters of Tiger Protection Units in the park 5 Acknowledgements The Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program gratefully acknowledges ExxonMobil Save The Tiger Fund for supporting this project. The program sincerely appreciates the guidance, direction and coordination provided by Ir. Moch. Haryono, chief of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park as the host of these collaborative activiites, and also the support of the park s administration and technical staff. In the field the program is indebted to our PHKA counterparts who have enthusiastically implemented the activities described here. Finally, the PHKA Director of Biodiversity (Ir. Widodo Ramono), Director of Protected Areas (Ir. Adi Susmianto) and Director General of PHKA (Ir. Koes Saparjadi) provide the direction and policy guidance on all aspects of this program and we offer our sincere thanks for their enthusiasm and support of the collaborative goals. Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 31/33

32 Figure 19 - Tiger Protection Unit in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program 32/33