An International Model of Effective Tiger Conservation

The Sumatran Tiger Project was initiated by Dr. Ron Tilson and his dedicated team in response to the Indonesian Government's own Tiger Conservation Strategy (1994), a document that he co-authored. This plan identified the immediate need for a conservation field program that would develop techniques and models applicable to the conservation of wild tigers across Sumatra.

The field biology component of the Sumatran Tiger Project was initiated in June 1995 in Way Kambas National Park (WKNP), a 130,000 ha lowland rain forest situated in southeastern Sumatra, Lampung Province. The study has provided the first information about tiger ecology, the conservation requirements and the challenges of managing this species in the wild. Infrared activated remote cameras were used to obtain a detailed photographic record of tiger activity within a 160 square kilometre study site, providing accurate data that has been essential in the implementation of effective conservation management initiatives. Home range size, population structure, density and prey requirements have been investigated in unprecedented detail. The effects of environmental catastrophes, such as fires and habitat loss, have also being studied. Poaching has been monitored, and anti-poaching models developed that are now being transferred to other areas where tigers are under threat. By working closely with the forest rangers of the park, the potential of protected area staff has been realized - using training regimes and structured field programs that have increased park management effectiveness considerably. The staff of the Sumatran Tiger Project are ideally qualified to conduct the training of forest rangers from other tiger range areas, using a comprehensive field manual and handbook, again developed during the last year of this pilot program. Finally, a protocol for rapid assessment of tiger status has been developed, and the management and co-ordination systems put in place. The Sumatran Tiger Project model has been frequently used as a model in several other tiger range countries.