Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia
Facing intense pressure from a variety of threats, the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinos sumatrensis sumatrensis) is probably the most endangered species of rhinoceros. It is estimated that no more than 275 individuals survive, almost entirely in two range states, Indonesia and Malaysia. From 1989 to 1998, the population declined by at least 60%, and while Javan rhinos number even fewer, the combination of the extent and rate of population reduction makes the Sumatran rhino the most critically endangered of the five rhino species. The cause of the decline is almost entirely poaching for the horn through the use of traps and snares placed in the forest. In Indonesia, Sumatran rhinos survive in only three known locations (Gunung Leuser, Bukit Barisan Selatan, and Way Kambas National Park) and have been extirpated from one national park (Kerinci Seblat) within the past decade.
Way Kambas is a large national park covering 130,000 hectares in southern Sumatra. The park consists of swamp forest and lowland rain forest, but was extensively logged before becoming a reserve in 1972, so there is little primary forest left. Way Kambas has long been known for being home to a significant population of Sumatran elephants, some Sumatran tigers and Malaysian tapirs, and numerous bird species. In the 1990s, surveys revealed that the park was also home to a little-known or seen population of around 40 Sumatran rhinos – one of only three surviving populations in Indonesia.
Over the past decade, significant encroachment has occurred along the Southern boundary of Way Kambas National Park, by villagers claiming traditional land rights. Park authorities have not responded to this infringement and encroachment is continuing across park borders. To date, the areas encroached, about 10-15 % of the Park area, are not suitable for rhino, but the infringements are moving closer and closer to the rhino habitat. Furthermore, roads and trails into the park made by the new settlements are points of departure for poachers and loggers that penetrate now far into the interior of the park.
Socioeconomic issues in Indonesia continue to make rhino and other wildlife conservation difficult. Encroachment, illegal logging, hunting, and non-timber forest product extraction are increasing, while park management capacity, staff morale and general political will is decreasing. The pressure on natural resources continues and is accelerating in all conservation areas in Indonesia, including Way Kambas, while the effectiveness of the park staff to counter the pressures is being reduced.
IRF’s Program in Way Kambas National Park
With an overarching goal of protecting and growing the populations of Sumatran rhinos and other megafauna (such as tigers, tapirs and elephants) in Way Kambas National Park, IRF and its partners fund and operate five anti-poaching units within the park, called Rhino Protection Units (RPUs). Since 1997, these units have been operating in the park under the Program Konservasi Badak Indonesia/Indonesian Rhino Conservation Program (PKBI / IRCP). They work in close coordination with National Park staff.
RPUs are the front-line defense for protecting Way Kambas’ rhino population. They are highly trained anti-poaching teams made up of 4-6 people that intensively patrol the key areas of the park to deactivate traps and snares and identify and apprehend illegal intruders, including poachers, and to investigate crime scenes, thus preventing or reducing the loss of wildlife to poachers. Each RPU is led by a qualified wildlife ranger who has qualifications of a civil investigating officer (Penyidik Pegawai Negeri Sipil) and has the authority to carry firearms and arrest suspected poachers. Other members are contracted from the local community. All team members receive rigorous training and evaluation before joining the program.
Rhino Protection Units spend a minimum of 15 days per month on patrol within the park. During each patrol, they record data and information on rhino signs, including footprints, feces, wallows, browse, direct sightings and other signs. All data are transferred to a database that is used to make monthly, quarterly and annual activity and performance reports, to analyze and plot the wildlife and disturbance records on maps with a GIS system, and to generate estimates of rhino density.
During patrols, RPUs and TPUs also search for any signs of illegal activities. All illegal activities, including encroachment, timber theft, illegal hunting or poaching, and forest product theft, are recorded and investigated. Evidence is collected and if possible the perpetrators are delivered to the Park Headquarters for further processing. Unit members then work with the proper government authorities to ensure that all poachers and perpetrators of illegal activities are appropriately prosecuted.
| Sharing our Expertise The success that the Rhino Protection Units in Indonesia have had in halting large mammal poaching has been widely acknowledged throughout Southeast Asia. As a result, other organizations are modeling similar anti-poaching units for other species of endangered wildlife, using the model of management and administration that has been developed in the Indonesia Rhino Conservation Program, including inviting the IRCP as trainers for these units. At the Way Kambas training center, the IRCP has trained Tiger Protection Units, Elephant Protection Units, and Orangutan Patrol Units who are now conducting anti-poaching patrols in several other national parks throughout Indonesia and Malaysia. |
Way Kambas National Park also houses the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS), a 250-acre complex currently home to five rhinos that are part of an intensively managed research and breeding program aimed at increasing the Sumatran rhino population in the wild. At the sanctuary, the rhinos reside in large, open areas where they can experience a natural rain forest habitat while still receiving state-of-the-art veterinary care and nutrition. With the recent addition of Andalas (the first Sumatran rhino born in captivity in over 112 years!) to the SRS’s population of one male and three female Sumatran rhinos, the SRS is well-poised to breed rhinos in the coming years.
Since all five anti-poaching units have been operational, there have been no cases of large mammal poaching in Way Kambas. Still, however, there is encroachment as well as invasions of people for extraction of timber, non-timber forest products, fish, and meat from the Park, and vigilance must be maintained.
Proactive prevention of poaching, more so than apprehension of poachers after an attempt at or success with poaching protected wildlife, is the main objective of the RPU program. The ongoing presence of RPUs in the area increases the risks for potential poachers, while their chances for a good return are decreased. This deterrent has worked well over the past years, and once an area is regularly patrolled, normally no more poaching is detected and indirectly all other wildlife benefits from the presence of the anti-poaching units.
IRF needs your help to continue operations of the anti-poaching units in Way Kambas National Park. Visit our donate page to learn more about how you can help us protect Sumtran rhinos and other endangered species.
info@rhinos-irf.org.
