Your letters: The Sumatran tiger crisis Paper Edition | Page: 8
With just shy of 600 Sumatran tigers left in the world, they are
a species on the critically endangered list that face more
threats than any other tiger species. They face conflict with
humans as the demand for their skin and other parts rises and
their habitat is being cut down at its highest rate. Sumatran
tigers require large amounts of forest cover for their territory
since they are not social animals. As Sumatra provides 87
percent of the palm oil produced in Indonesia the deforestation
caused by the expansion of plantations causes a threat to their
habitat and challenges their survival. Sumatra lost nearly 13
million hectares of forest between 1985 and 2009 due to its
conversion to agriculture and commercial plantations, as well as
the encroachment of unsustainable logging operations and road
construction. In 2008, the island had 12.8 million hectares of
forest remaining that only covered 29 percent of the land area,
and this is where 87 pe