Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ( Fischer, 1814 )
CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Asian Rhino Action Plan:6 A Sumatran Rhinoceros Action Plan was completed by the IUCN/Species Survival Commission (SSC) Asian Rhino Specialist Group as part of an Action Plan for all three Asian Rhino species. The Ac
tion Plan recommends both general strategies and specific measures to protect and preserve the three species of Asian Rhino. General recommendations for the Sumatran Rhino are: concentrating initial in situ conservation efforts on populations considered t
o be reasonably viable; improving legal protection of all areas with viable populations; conducting biochemical genetic studies to determine subspecific validity; surveys of Kalimantan, Thailand and northern Myanmar for rhino populations; capture of anima
ls from unviable populations to provide founders for captive populations and design of recovery programme; and improving law enforcement throughout the range in order to reduce poaching and trade in rhino products. A revised Action Plan is expected to app
ear in 1996.
TRAFFIC: WWF has greatly increased support for TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and IUCN. TRAFFIC is exploring culturally sensitive ways to discourage consumption of rhino horn and other rhino parts for medicinal purposes and
to encourage the use of effective substitutes. WWF is assisting law enforcement agencies in improving implementation of CITES and is placing political pressure on governments of countries and territories of key concern to stop the illegal trade. WWF funds
a regional TRAFFIC office in Malaysia for field investigations and general trade monitoring throughout Southeast Asia. WWF also supports TRAFFIC offices in Hong Kong, Taipei, Japan and India.
Global Heritage Species Programme (GHSP):4 This concept originated in 1988. The intention is to select a group of ecologically and culturally important species that can be used as 'flagship species' to attract suppor
t for conservation of species and their habitats. A Sumatran Rhino GHSP has been developed by the IUCN/SSC Captive Breeding Specialist Group in collaboration with the Asian Rhino Specialist group, Indonesia's Directorate General of Forest Protection and N
ature Conservation (PHPA) and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), Malaysia. The programme aims to maintain viable populations of the Sumatran Rhino beyond the year 2000 by means of both in situ and ex situ approaches.
Global Environment Facility (GEF) Project for South East Asia Rhinos:18 A GEF Biodiversity Project to assist implementation of rhino conservation plans in Indonesia and Malaysia has been approved. The project will pro
vide US $2 m from 1995 to 1998, evenly divided between the two countries. The three major elements of the project are to: enhance the capabilities of conservation agencies in order to arrest the decline of rhinoceroses due to hunting and habitat disturban
ce; increase involvement of the local human communities in rhino conservation; and produce a comprehensive plan for rhino management.
Indonesia:5 WWF is supporting development and management of an Indonesian Rhino Action Plan, surveys of Sumatran rhinos and anti-poaching and monitoring activities. WWF has redesigned a project for protection of the
Gunung Leuser National Park with a focus on resolving the conflict between the park and the people who live around it. The overall goals of this community based project are to create and demonstrate field models to stabilize or decrease pressure on the pa
rk and to build better local institutional and policy support for park management. WWF hopes to strengthen local capacities and develop community-based enterprises with government support under project ID0106. Under Project ID0094, WWF is supporting the m
anagement of the Kerinci-Seblat National Park as well as an integrated conservation and development programme. Rhinos survive in Kerinci but are under serious threat because of hunting pressure for the illegal wildlife trade. Some 280,000 people live insi
de the park and were inhabitants long before the park was declared a protected area. Community based initiatives and environmentally sound eco-tourism with benefits to local inhabitants are of major
importance for this project.
Malaysia: Rhino conservation is managed by the relevant government agencies in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. WWF-Malaysia supports rhino conservation through provision of financial or technical assistance, cooperation with relevant govern
ment agencies and research institutions and/or field studies in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
Myanmar: A survey of the Tamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest protected area in Myanmar, was undertaken in March 1994. No evidence was found that viable populations of Sumatran Rhinos exist within the Sanctuary, and while a few individuals are
thought to survive it is thought unlikely that they will persist.24 Recent surveys have also been undertaken in Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand; Belam Forest Reserve, Malaysia; Danum Valley Conservation Area, Malaysia
(Sabah); Way Kambas Park, and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Indonesia (Sumatra). Most of the surveys confirmed the continued existence of the Sumatran Rhino however, the species was not found in Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary previously considered t
he best rhino area in Thailand.25
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