Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, also known as Bukit Tiga Puluh and Bukit Tigapulah, is a 143,223-hectare national park in eastern Sumatra. It is mainly covered by tropical lowland forests, mostly in Riau province, with a smaller part in Jambi province covering 33,000 hectares. The park is home to many endangered animals, including the Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephant, and Asian tapir, as well as several endangered bird species. It is part of the Tesso Nilo Complex, a special area with high biodiversity. The park is also inhabited by the indigenous Orang Rimba and Talang Mamak tribes. The park has faced ongoing threats from illegal logging and palm oil plantations, with two-thirds of its area already logged.

Flora and fauna

The Park has different types of ecosystems, including lowland and highland forests. Plants found here include Gutta-percha, Shorea, Alstonia scholaris, Dyera costulata, Koompassia excelsa, Rafflesia hasseltii, Calamus draco, and many other types of rattan.

A survey from 1994 reported that Bukit Tigapuluh National Park is home to 59 mammal species, such as six primate species and 18 bat species. It also has 198 bird species and many butterfly species. Mammals in the Park include the Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephant, Asian tapir, sun bear, siamang, crab-eating macaque, Sumatran surili, Sunda loris, clouded leopard, leopard cat, marbled cat, dhole, Malayan civet, Indian muntjac, Sumatran serow, and Java mouse-deer.

Bird species in the Park include the great argus, little green-pigeon, white-rumped shama, white-bellied woodpecker, crested serpent-eagle, Hill myna, helmeted hornbill, wrinkled hornbill, white-winged wood duck, Storm’s stork, garnet pitta, and grey-breasted babbler.

The Park plays an important role in protecting the water systems of the Kuantan Indragiri watershed.

Conservation and threats

In 1982, the National Conservation Plan showed how important the Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem is. It named two areas—Bukit Besar Wildlife Sanctuary (200,000 hectares) and Seberida Nature Reserve (120,000 hectares)—as top priority conservation areas. In 1992, the Indonesian and Norwegian governments worked together to study the biological value of the Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem. After the study, the area of 250,000 hectares was suggested to become a national park. In 1995, the Indonesian government created Bukit Tigapuluh National Park through a ministerial decree covering 127,698 hectares. In 2002, the park's size was increased to 143,223 hectares.

The park has faced ongoing threats from illegal logging and palm oil plantations. Two-thirds of the park has been logged. Surrounding buffer zones and wildlife corridors are shrinking. In May 2009, the Indonesian government allowed 30,000 hectares of forest outside the park to be logged.

The orangutan reintroduction program in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park is managed by the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP). The first reintroduction station near the park was built in 2001 by Dr. Peter Pratje, a German biologist, with help from the Frankfurt Zoological Society and local partners. This station teaches orangutans who were raised in captivity how to live in the wild.

In 2002, the Batu Mbelin orangutan quarantine center was built near Medan, North Sumatra, by PanEco. In December 2002, the first orangutans were moved from the quarantine center to a rehabilitation center near the park and reintroduced shortly after.

Today, two orangutan reintroduction stations operate near the park's boundaries. These stations focus on reintroducing orangutans to the park.

Since the program began, over 190 orangutans have been treated at the quarantine center. Of these, more than 160 have been sent to Bukit Tigapuluh for reintroduction under the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme. At least four infants have been born to reintroduced mothers. These infants are the first to be born in the forests of Jambi in more than 100 years.

In March and April 2011, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) set up camera traps in the Bukit Tigapuluh forest. The cameras captured images of 12 rare Sumatran tigers, including a mother with cubs. After this, the WWF made its campaign against planned logging stronger. In 2010, the Indonesian government agreed to a 2-year moratorium on new forest clearance. However, the presidential regulation that created the moratorium was signed in May 2011. The area of Bukit Tigapuluh is not included in the moratorium. Asia Pulp & Paper plans to clear large parts of the forest.

In November 2011, the WWF announced the discovery of five endangered cat species in the forests of Riau. Using automatic cameras in the corridor between Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and Rimbang Baling Sanctuary, they found Sumatran tigers, Sunda clouded leopards, marbled cats, golden cats, and leopard cats. These animals use the same paths in the corridor. However, both areas connected by the corridor are threatened by deforestation.