PEFC condemns death of endangered Sumatran tiger

26 July 2011 News

PEFC notes with concern the video released yesterday by Greenpeace concerning the death of an endangered Sumatran tiger in Indonesia.

According to a WWF report of the incident of 5 July 2011, based on its own observations and information from local people, “the tiger was caught in a snare that was set up to catch wild boar but the poor tiger was crossing the area and finally got trapped”. This is in line with earlier reports by local authorities from 30 June 2011 that the tiger was caught in an illegal wildlife trap set by local people from the Medang hamlet.

WWF further reports that “the tiger could have been saved if its condition was reported earlier”, and explains that “the Sumatran tiger population was spread outside the protected areas, including the company's concession. In the concession area, the tigers usually pass through and cross the area to other forest corridor to find prey.”

An investigation conducted by WWF-Indonesia Tiger Patrol Unit revealed that there is indication that snare was made of nylon and sling. Mr Osmantri of the WWF Indonesia Tiger Patrol Unit said that “[…] to prevent unintended catch of protected animals, WWF suggested that snares particularly those which are made of nylon and sling or similar materials inside the tiger habitat are strictly prohibited.”

PEFC confirms that there are no PEFC-certified forests in Indonesia. Currently the only two systems active in forest management certification in Indonesia are LEI and FSC. However all global forest certification systems allow for a proportion of uncertified wood to be included in labelled products provided they do not come from controversial sources.

PEFC calls on the Indonesian government to work with local stakeholders to thoroughly investigate this tragedy. At the same point in time, PEFC regrets Greenpeace’s attempts to link the tragic death of the tiger with forest management certification. The cooperation of all parties is essential to avoid similar incidents in the future.

UPDATE 15 August 2011:  SGS South Africa (Pty) Ltd, the respective certification body, has informed us that "we have taken up the issue with APP and they have confirmed that the death of this tiger was caused by local villagers that set an illegal trap. The matter is now being dealt with by the local police. APP and their pulp suppliers have systems in place to monitor and control such illegal activities, but it is obviously impossible for them to prevent this from happening at all. They also have programmes in place that seek to educate the local communities on the importance of preserving wildlife and they will be intensifying these efforts within the area where this incident took place".