IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Nugraha, R.T. | |
| Handling human-tiger conflicts as a measure to support Sumatran tiger conservation effort in Indonesia | |
| 2005 Full Book | |
In the last five years human-tiger conflict followed by human retaliatory response against tiger has been a major contributor to Sumatran tiger (_Panthera tigris sumatrae_) mortality in the Kerinci Seblat National Park. This situation appears to echo in other Sumatran tiger habitats and has become one of causal factors in the decline of tiger populations. Therefore, appropriate handling method on resolving human-tiger conflict is an important part of conservation of the last sub-species of tiger in Indonesia. The research tried to identify and provide a number of potential measures which can be used to tackle the problem: these are categorized into two groups. The first group is a set of 'Technical measures' which deal mainly with the individual 'problem' animal that comes into conflict. The second category is a group of 'Human Dimension measures', which focus on raising human tolerance toward tigers and reducing the negative effects of co-existence between human and tigers.To achieve the research objective, a wide range of information was gathered through studying the literature; interviewing people and conducting field observations in three different sites in the study area, namely Jangkat; Birun and Sungai Asam, the potential measures were, then, analyzed through biological; technical and socioeconomic considerations. And the reliability of recommendations of this research has been discussed with some experts and researchers during the research period. Before implementing the potential measures to resolve human-tiger conflict, it is essential to understand the main causal factors; these are usually related to the behaviour of the individual problem tiger. Unwillingness of the local community to report incidents prevents conservation agencies from delivering an immediate and effective response. This latter issue also highlights a relationship between the reluctance of local communities to report human-tiger conflict and tiger poaching since hunters are frequently recorded as using human-tiger conflict incidents as a source of information for hunting tigers. Establishing Conflict Response Units (CRUs) under national park agency direction is an essential component in development an effective strategy for resolving humantiger conflict. A group of well-equipped and trained CRUs operating under clearlydefined government legal regulations and with the support of other stakeholders, including local communities; can implement the potential measures, some of which, namely habitat modification; disruptive stimuli and increasing tolerance toward tiger through cultural perspectives, have been tested in the study area. Based on the considerations applied in this study, implementation of a direct compensation scheme; translocation and lethal method are placed among the final options required for achieving the long-term goal of stabilizing and maintaining a viable population of wild Sumatran Tiger. |
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