Yahoo News 26 Mar 08;
A new road linked to one of the world's largest paper companies threatens a massive peatland forest sheltering rare tigers on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, conservationists said Wednesday.
The road's construction by companies linked to Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) could have "devastating effects" on the area, conservation group Eyes on the Forest said in a report.
The group says it is concerned APP, owned by the Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas, will use the new road to restart forest clearances in an area considered one of the last havens for the endangered Sumatran tiger.
"Even as our investigators were out surveying the site last month, they came across tiger tracks along the APP logging road," said the group's coordinator Nursamsu.
"The tigers of Kampar do not stand a chance once APP begins logging full-scale and the poachers discover there is easy access to this critical tiger habitat."
Sumatra's Kampar Peninsula lies on top of a deep peat dome and acts as one of the planet's biggest carbon stores, as well as being home to several rare species.
Sumatra is the only island where tigers can still be found in Indonesia, and their numbers are estimated at around 400 to 500.
Poaching and deforestation to make way for pulp, paper and palm oil plantations are the main factors behind the animal's decline.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched a 10-year conservation strategy for the Sumatran tiger last December.
APP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
