Sumatra's Forests, Their Wildlife and the Climate
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Sumatra’s Forests, their Wildlife and the Climate Windows in Time: 1985, 1990, 2000 and 2009 Sumatra’s Forests, their Wildlife and the Climate Windows in Time: 1985, 1990, 2000 and 2009 A quantitative assessment of some of Sumatra’s natural resources submitted as technical report by invitation to the National Forestry Council (DKN) and to the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) of Indonesia WWF-Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia July 2010 Authors Yumiko Uryu, Consultant to World Wildlife Fund, Washington DC, USA Elisabet Purastuti, Consultant to WWF-Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia Yves Laumonier, CIRAD-CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia Sunarto, WWF-Indonesia PhD Fellow, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, USA Setiabudi, SEAMEO-BIOTROP, Bogor, Indonesia Arif Budiman, WWF-Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia Kokok Yulianto, WWF-Indonesia, Riau, Indonesia Anggoro Sudibyo, WWF-Indonesia, Riau, Indonesia Oki Hadian, WWF-Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia Dian Achmad Kosasih, WWF-Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia Michael Stüwe, World Wildlife Fund, Washington DC, USA Reviewers (in alphabetical order): Ajay Desai (Co-chair IUCN Species Survival Commission Asian Elephant Specialist Group) Christy Williams (WWF International) Florian Siegert (University of Munich, GeoBio-Center) Hariadi Kartodihardjo (Institut Pertanian Bogor) Hariyo T. Wibisono (Wildlife Conservation Society - Indonesia Program) Ian Singleton (Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, PanEco-YEL) John Payne (WWF Malaysia) Kerry Crosbie (Project Director, Asian Rhino Project) Kristin Nowell (Red List Coordinator, IUCN Species Survival Commission Cat Specialist Group) Matthew Linkie (Fauna & Flora International) Peter Pratje (Frankfurt Zoological Society) Simon Hedges (Co-chair IUCN Species Survival Commission Asian Elephant Specialist Group) Sri Suci Utami Atmoko (Universitas Nasional) Susie Elis (Executive Director, International Rhino Foundation) Photo on front cover: Natural forest of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia © Mast Irham / WWF-Indonesia. Contact: [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] 1 | WWF Preface This technical report was submitted by WWF upon requests by Dewan Kehutanan Nasional (National Forestry Council, DKN - letter No. 107/DKN/HK/11/2009) and by Badan Perencanaan dan Pembangunan Nasional (National Development Planning Agency, BAPPENAS) for information on forests and forestry. The report presents scientific data and information on: • Loss of natural forest in Sumatra and its eight mainland provinces 1985-2009. • Loss of carbon stock in natural forest and peat. • Deforestation and eco-floristic diversity. • Deforestation and mega-fauna diversity. • Suggestions for prioritizing conservation and restoration interventions in Sumatra. WWF Indonesia is very concerned about the findings of this report: the ongoing severe loss of natural forest and degradation of peat soil and the resulting emissions from carbon stocks, the significant depletion of eco-floristic diversity and the large reduction of the island’s populations of the Sumatran Elephant, Orang Utan, Rhino and Tiger. WWF Indonesia very much welcomes this request for information by DKN and BAPPENAS since WWF is ready to actively participate in a policy dialogue on improving the state of natural forests in Sumatra. This report provides a scientific analysis of the state of some of Sumatra’s natural resources since 1985. As one of the next steps, WWF will analyze Sumatran provinces’ adherence to land use plans in effect since 1985. WWF Indonesia believes that the existing rate of natural forest loss is a very important indicator of the non sustainable development currently occurring in Sumatra. This must be stopped and alternative ways need to be formulated. For this report, WWF modeled the available data and made some initial suggestions for prioritizing forest conservation interventions and the areas in need of most urgent action. WWF Indonesia welcomes comments, inputs and criticisms to this report so it can further improve data collection and analysis. July 2010 WWF Indonesia WWF | 2 Content 1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 8 3. Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 10 4. Study Area ................................................................................................................................................ 11 5. Data Collected, Generated, Analyzed and Interpreted ............................................................................. 13 6. Loss of Natural Forest 1985 to 2008/9 .................................................................................................... 14 Natural forest loss by elevation and soil type .......................................................................................... 15 Natural forest loss by province ................................................................................................................ 18 7. Loss of Carbon Stocks in Natural Forest and Peat .................................................................................. 21 Carbon stocks of Sumatra’s natural forest and peat soil ......................................................................... 21 Loss of Sumatra’s natural forest and peat carbon stocks ........................................................................ 25 Continuing threats to Sumatra’s carbon and the global climate: The “Mega Pulp Project” disaster .... 26 Survival of Sumatra’s peat lands and protection of its carbon stores ...................................................... 29 8. Loss of Eco-Floristic Diversity in Sumatra ............................................................................................. 30 Stratification of Sumatra into thirty-eight Eco-Floristic Sectors ............................................................ 30 Loss of natural forest in Sumatra’s eco-floristic sectors and their extinction risks ................................. 31 Survival requirements .............................................................................................................................. 35 9. Decline of Sumatra’s Four Flagship Species: Elephant, Orangutan, Tiger and Rhino ............................ 37 9.1. Sumatran Elephant ( Elephas maximus spp. sumatranus )................................................................. 37 Populations .............................................................................................................................................. 37 Main threats ............................................................................................................................................. 37 Survival requirements .............................................................................................................................. 38 9.2. Sumatran Orangutan ( Pongo abelii ) ................................................................................................. 40 Populations .............................................................................................................................................. 40 Main threats ............................................................................................................................................. 41 Survival requirements .............................................................................................................................. 42 9.3. Sumatran Rhinoceros ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ) ........................................................................... 43 Populations .............................................................................................................................................. 43 Main threats ............................................................................................................................................. 44 Survival requirements .............................................................................................................................. 45 9.4. Sumatran Tiger ( Panthera tigris sumatrae ) ..................................................................................... 47 Populations .............................................................................................................................................. 47 Main threats ............................................................................................................................................. 47 Survival requirements .............................................................................................................................. 48 10. Prioritizing Conservation Intervention Areas in Sumatra .................................................................... 51 11. Prioritizing Potential Development Areas in Sumatra ......................................................................... 58 12. Appendices ..........................................................................................................................................