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Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Communication Status of Sumatran Tiger in the Berbak-Sembilang landscape (2020) Tomi Ariyanto, Yoan Dinata, Dwiyanto, Erwan Turyanto, Waluyo Sugito, Sophie Kirklin & Rajan Amin 26 May 2021 | Vol. 13 | No. 6 | Pages: 18419–18426 DOI: 10.11609/jot.6271.13.6.18419-18426 For Focus, Scope, Aims, and Policies, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/aims_scope For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/policies_various For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. 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Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2021 | 13(6): 18419–18426 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) OPEN ACCESS htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.6271.13.6.18419-18426 #6271 | Received 05 June 2020 | Final received 06 April 2021 | Finally accepted 15 May 2021 COMMUNICATION Status of Sumatran Tiger in the Berbak-Sembilang landscape (2020) Tomi Ariyanto 1 , Yoan Dinata 2 , Dwiyanto 3 , Erwan Turyanto 4 , Waluyo Sugito 5 , Sophie Kirklin 6 & Rajan Amin 7 1–3, 5–7 Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY. 4 Berbak Sembilang Natonal Park Agency, Jambi, Indonesia. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected], 5 [email protected], 6 [email protected], 7 [email protected] Abstract: Monitoring the status of the Critcally Endangered Sumatran Tiger Panthera tgris sumatrae is a key component for assessing the efectveness of conservaton interventons, and thus informing and adaptng strategic planning for the remaining 600 Sumatran Tigers on the island. The Berbak-Sembilang Natonal Park is an integral part of the priority Berbak-Sembilang Tiger Conservaton Landscape, in a unique habitat of mixed peat and freshwater swamp in eastern Sumatra. Our camera trap survey covered both the Berbak and Sembilang Tiger Core Areas (BTCA, STCA) over a period of 10 years, with surveys undertaken in 2010, 2015, 2018–2019. The most recent populaton density estmates (BTCA 1.33 adults/100 km2, 95% CI 0.82–1.91 with 19 adults; and STCA 0.56 adults/100 km2, 95% CI 0.45–0.89 with fve adults) confrmed a small but stable populaton. A landscape level management approach is a priority for tger populaton recovery, consolidatng ground-based protecton and establishing a well-maintained fre management system with reforestaton of afected areas along with mult-stakeholder engagement and partnerships. The study also recommends extending the BTCA to include the primary swamp forest in the north of the natonal park, based on evidence from camera trap surveys. Keywords: Abundance, camera trap, density, Panthera tgris sumatrae, Sumatra. Editor: L.A.K. Singh, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Date of publicaton: 26 May 2021 (online & print) Citaton: Ariyanto, T., Y. Dinata, Dwiyanto, E. Turyanto, W. Sugito, S. Kirklin & R. Amin (2021). Status of Sumatran Tiger in the Berbak-Sembilang landscape (2020). Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(6): 18419–18426. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.6271.13.6.18419-18426 Copyright: © Ariyanto et al. 2021. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Panthera; GEF-UNDP Tiger Project; IUCN-KfW ITHCP Project; Disney Conservaton Fund. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. For Bahasa Indonesia abstract, Author details & Author contributons see end of this artcle. Acknowledgements: We thank the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and Head of Berbak-Sembilang Natonal Park for grantng permission to conduct the feld surveys. We thank Edi Susanto, Zainal Abidin, Bagus Hutajulu, M. Azwi Nardiansyah, Sismanto, Raziko, Suryadi & Saryono, and the rest of the feld team for assistng in the camera trap surveys. Our thanks also go to Citra Panjaitan, Iding Achmad Haidir and M. Anderi for their contributon to the Berbak tger monitoring programme. The programme is supported by various donors including Darwin Initatve, Panthera, GEF-UNDP Tiger Project and IUCN-KfW. 18419 J TT Status of Sumatran Tiger in Berbak-Sembilang landscape Ariyanto et al. INTRODUCTION the study was to assess the status of the Sumatran Tiger in the Berbak-Sembilang TCL, as part of implementaton Among the six extant subspecies of tgers, the of a tger conservaton strategy. Sumatran Tiger Panthera tgris sumatrae survives in isolated populatons across 27 forest patches in Sumatra (Figure 1, combined forest area ~140,226 km2) (Wibisono MATERIALS AND METHODS & Pusparini 2010). It is listed as Critcally Endangered on the IUCN Red List (Linkie et al. 2008), threatened by: Study area 1) habitat loss and fragmentaton, largely the result of The study was conducted in Berbak Tiger Core Area regular forest fres and land clearance for agricultural (BTCA, area 657km2) and Sembilang Tiger Core Area use; 2) poaching, encouraged by the illegal wildlife trade (STCA, area 695km2) within BSNP, located on the east and internatonal illegal wildlife trade; and 3) human- coast of Sumatra island, Indonesia (1.08°–-2.45°S and tger interacton (Nyhus et al. 2004; Ng & Nemora 103.80°–-104.90°E). Berbak Tiger Core Area mainly 2007; Linkie et al. 2008; Kartka 2017). To conserve consists of freshwater swamp forest and peat swamp the subspecies, six of the existng 12 tger conservaton forest. The topography is fat with elevaton less than landscapes (TCLs) in Sumatra have been designated as 15m (Giesen 2004). Sembilang Tiger Core Area contains priority tger landscapes in the Natonal Tiger Recovery the largest area of mangrove forest in the Indo-Malayan Plan, including the Berbak-Sembilang TCL (GTI 2012), the region (Silvius et al. 2018a). It is made up of peatland focus of the current study (forest patch number 26 in and mangrove forest in the east and peat swamp forest Figure 1). in the west. Both core areas come together in the small The Berbak-Sembilang TCL comprises Berbak- blackwater Benuh River*, and in a large peat dome in Sembilang Natonal Park (BSNP, 3,442km2), Air Hitam the west that forms the upper catchment of the Benuh Peatland Protected Forest (187km2), Orang Kayo Hitam River. Annual rainfall is c. 2,466mm with lowest and Forest Park (181km2), tmber concessions (622km2), highest records of 933mm and 3,972mm, respectvely acacia plantaton concessions (517km2), and oil (Silvius et al. 2018a). palm plantatons (106km2) (KLHK 2020). With over Tiger prey species in Berbak-Sembilang TCL include 3,800km2 of wetland forest (Wibisono & Pusparini Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Bearded Pig Sus barbatus, 2010), the landscape is a combinaton of mixed peat Southern Red Muntjac Muntacus muntjak, Sambar Deer swamp, freshwater forest (Giesen 2004; GTI 2012) Rusa unicolor and two sympatric species of chevrotain: and mangrove forest (Silvius et al. 2018a). It is also an Greater Oriental Chevrotain Tragulus napu and Lesser important carbon sink (GTI 2012), but it is experiencing Oriental Chevrotain Tragulus kanchil. The other felid deforestaton caused by logging and human-caused fres species in the study area include Sunda Clouded Leopard (Giesen 2004). Neofelis diardi, Marbled Cat Pardofelis marmorata, Since 2007, a tger conservaton programme has Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis, and Flat-headed been operatonal in Berbak-Sembilang TCL to monitor Cat Prionailurus planiceps (BSNP & ZSL 2018). and protect the tger populaton and its habitat. The adaptve patrol management system, SMART Field methods (Spatal Monitoring and Reportng Tool, htps:// Tiger populaton densites were estmated using smartconservatontools.org), has been implemented by standardized camera trapping procedures based BSNP since 2014, led by the Tiger Patrol and Protecton on capture-recapture method (Karanth & Nichols Units (TPPUs), to tackle tger poaching and habitat 2002). Surveys were conducted in BTCA between 31 destructon. A Wildlife Confict Response Team (WCRT) January 2018–22 August 2018, 14 February 2015–8 has been operatonal since 2011 and a Wildlife Crime April 2016, and 23 June 2010–2 February 2011; and in Investgaton Unit (WCIU) since 2015, combatng the STCA between 1 January–1 July 2019 and 5 September illegal wildlife trade, mitgatng human-wildlife confict 2018–21 December 2018. A nine km2 grid system was and combatng the illegal wildlife trade. Establishing used, and paired camera traps (1 pair of camera traps= and conserving a viable tger populaton requires long 1 camera trap staton) were deployed in accessible tger term monitoring of tgers, co-predators, prey and their habitats to evaluate a conservaton programme’s * A blackwater river is a river with a slow-moving channel fowing efectveness and inform management decision-making through forested swamps or wetlands, whose water is tannin-stained, (Jhala et al. 2009; Goodrich et al. 2013). The objectve of in this case from the peat. 18420 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 May 2021 | 13(6): 18419–18426 Status of Sumatran Tiger in Berbak-Sembilang landscape Ariyanto et al.