Rare bat in small Sumatran rainforest

Save the Sumatran rainforest from The RSPB on Vimeo.

From Wildlife Extra:

Rare bat and other species found in forest fragment on oil palm plantation

16/11/2010 07:38:36

Proof that even small areas are worth saving

November 2010: The discovery of a rare bat species in a tiny fragment of rainforest surrounded by an oil palm plantation has demonstrated that even small areas of forest are worth saving.

This first record of the Ridley’s leaf-nosed bat in Sumatra was found by a team from the Zoological Society of London, Queen Mary, University of London and the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) in a 300 ha fragment of forest during a biodiversity survey in Indonesia. The bat is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

The find contradicts recent claims that such small fragments are not worth preserving. Among many other species found by the biodiversity survey were sunbear, tapir, agile gibbon and banded langur, all of which are also of conservation concern.

Protecting large areas will always be the priority. Sophie Persey, ZSL Biodiversity and oil palm project manager says: ‘Protecting large areas of connected forest will always be a priority for wildlife conservation, but if ambitious future plans for oil palm expansion are realised, conserving forest fragments within oil palm landscapes will also be important for maintaining Indonesia’s biodiversity.’

The area surveyed in Sumatra is currently managed as a conservation area by the palm oil company, limiting the impact of logging and encroachment on the forest fragment.

For years, Harapan Rainforest, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, suffered from illegal logging. This destroyed vast areas of lush greenery and vital habitat for all its wildlife: here.

Greenpeace published a report in July showing how the last wild Sumatran tigers are threatened with extinction by the practices of Indonesia’s biggest pulp and paper producer, Asia Pulp and Paper, (APP). We thought that was reason enough to give APP a ‘Golden Chainsaw Award’ to mark the International Pulp and Paper Awards in Brussels: here.

Dozen endangered Sumatran tigers, incl. frolicking cubs, captured on video in Indonesian forests slated to be logged: here.

Future of Sumatran tigers threatened: here.

UK animal feed helping to destroy Asian rainforest, study shows: here.

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• Less stuff, more orangutans (point4counterpoint.wordpress.com)
• Banks, stop funding Indonesian forest destruction corporation (dearkitty1.wordpress.com)
• Lingering deadly fate of the Sumatran tiger (greatcatsoftheworld.wordpress.com)
• Palm Oil company PT Kallista Alam fails to show in court case filed by Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment over destruction of world renowned Sumatran Orangutan stronghold, the Tripa Peat Swamp Forest. (endoftheicons.wordpress.com)
• Spotlight: Do Your Part to Save Sumatran Tigers (cyndacation.wordpress.com)
• Three rare Sumatran tiger cubs born at Indonesia zoo (dawn.com)
• Sumatran Tiger Conservation (greatcatsoftheworld.wordpress.com)