31 October 2007Alok Jha
Conservationists have found several species of endangered animals living in parts of the Indonesian jungle given over to timber and oil-palm plantations. They warn that the habitats for these rare animals could be destroyed by the plantations and have called on the authorities there to reconsider the way they allocate land for agricultural use.
A team of scientists, led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), found evidence of Sumatran tigers, families of elephants, sun bears, tapirs, golden cats and clouded leopards in so-called degraded land on Sumatra - areas that are not protected habitats and have been designated for agriculture. There is some 60m hectares of degraded land on the island.
Sarah Christie, carnivore programme manager at ZSL, said: "We knew there was going to be some stuff there but we were quite surprised at the number of photographs and the clear evidence of elephant family groups."
Indonesia is one of the world's most ecologically diverse regions. Though its rainforests are protected from loss, development of degraded forest by timber companies or into oil-palm plantations is actively encouraged by the government.
"What we're losing here is very valuable bits of habitat connection, good carbon sinks that are being lost because it's not being realised how valuable they are," said Dr Christie.
Degraded land has already been stripped of its largest trees, making it unsuitable for animals that live in forest canopies, but it is still useful for ground-based animals and can serve as useful corridors between different populations of a species. Conservationists worry that allowing companies to plant these areas with agricultural crops would destroy the wild habitats entirely.
The London team studied a 2,000 sq km area of degraded land next to the Bukit Tiga Puluh national park in central Sumatra. Using camera traps, they took pictures of an entire family of Asian elephants, a species currently classified as endangered by the World Conservation Union's Red List - fewer than 50,000 of these animals are left in the wild and they are at risk from the illegal trade in ivory.
The team also found evidence of the Sumatran tiger, classified as critically endangered. The smallest of all tiger subspecies and found only in Sumatra, it is believed there are only 250 mature individuals left. It is threatened by habitat loss and poaching. Other rare species found in the survey area include the golden cat and the Malayan sun bear.
Scientists want the Indonesian government to re-consider how it allocates land for timber companies. "We're already in discussions with them on the need to change the land-use planning policy - what we're hoping is this will provide pictorial evidence," said Dr Christie. "Hopefully it will help influence them in the right direction."
Because of its proximity to a conservation area, Dr Christie said that the land surveyed was a hotspot for migrating animals such as elephants.
She said it was too late to save the habitats of land surveyed because it had probably already been allocated to timber companies. "What we're hoping is that we can help to ensure that other areas of important wildlife habitat in similar positions - perhaps connecting two pieces of forest or around a national park - are not put into the concessions arena."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/31/endangered
