Wildfires Threaten Sumatran Tiger Habitat in Jambi National Park
- 29 Sep 2026 16:41 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- Wildfires in Berbak and Sembilang National Park have spread within 2–3 kilometers of Sumatran tiger habitat.
- Firefighters are battling around 1,000 hectares of burned land amid limited water sources and difficult access.
RRI.CO.ID, Jambi - Forest and land fires (karhutla) raging in Berbak and Sembilang National Park (TNBS) in East Tanjung Jabung Regency, Jambi, are moving dangerously close to core habitats housing the endangered Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae).
Head of the TNBS Office, Yunaidi, said on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, that while the flames have not yet breached the primary forest zones where tigers and prey species reside, the shrinking distance poses an escalating threat.
"Field observations indicate the fire is not too far, perhaps around two to three kilometers from the tiger habitat border, if the fire continues to spread, the habitat of these protected animals could be affected," Yunaidi said in Jambi as quoted by Antara.
Current burn areas remain largely confined to secondary vegetation, including shrubs, reeds, and ferns. However, dense smoke from the fires is already impacting nearby wildlife. In addition, recent accounts from local anglers confirm that wild tiger vocalizations continue to be heard near the Sembilang area, though no direct wildlife casualties have been reported to date.
According to 2022 monitoring data, TNBS hosts an estimated population of 11 Sumatran tigers.
Firefighting operations have been underway since the blazes first broke out on August 9, with burned area estimates reaching approximately 1,000 hectares.
Joint suppression efforts involving local Disaster Mitigation Agencies (BPBD) and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel face severe operational hurdles, including a critical lack of water sources and zero road access to deep inland hot spots.
To combat water shortages, field teams are deploying heavy equipment to construct artificial retention basins (embung) and channel water directly from nearby rivers to contain the flames before they reach primary forest zones. ***
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