To say that rangers in the Central Sumatra tiger landscape faced challenges is an under-statement. Take for example the Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve. The 136,000-hectare reserve has only 3 rangers charged with patrolling the vast area. (NB: A full-sized football pitch is slightly more than a hectare.) To help them cover the distance, they have, between them, the use of one motorbike.
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ABOUT THE RANGERS
“There is a limit to how much patrolling we can do with one motorbike and 3 rangers,” said Rusli Siregar, the reserve’s head ranger, matter of factly. “It definitely is a challenge but we have to do our utmost anyway to help protect the reserve.”
Rusli, who started working in Rimbang Baling since 1989, is taking these challenges in his stride. After all, if getting punched by the leader of a group of encroachers is not stopping him, nothing will.
Rangers like Rusli are rare like the wildlife they protect and deserve all the support they can get.
WWF works to reduce pressure from habitat clearance through monitoring forest crime, engaging with plantation owners on more forest-friendly behaviour, reaching out to local communities, and supporting government agencies on sustainable land-use planning and implementation.
Rusli, who started working in Rimbang Baling since 1989, is taking these challenges in his stride. After all, if getting punched by the leader of a group of encroachers is not stopping him, nothing will.
Rangers like Rusli are rare like the wildlife they protect and deserve all the support they can get.
About the Central Sumatra Tiger Landscape
The Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve is part of the Central Sumatra tiger landscape that connects Kerinci-Seblat National Park, one of the world’s largest protected areas containing tigers, to the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and Riau Province’s lowland peat-swamp forests that are rich in carbon. It is highly threatened by deforestation for oil palm, and pulp and paper plantations.WWF works to reduce pressure from habitat clearance through monitoring forest crime, engaging with plantation owners on more forest-friendly behaviour, reaching out to local communities, and supporting government agencies on sustainable land-use planning and implementation.
