Camera Traps in Sumatra Depict Vibrant Diversity of Rainforest

Using camera traps deployed in the rainforests of Leuser in northern Sumatra, conservationists are amassing a video inventory of the rich biodiversity in a region increasingly imperiled by logging, palm oil plantations, and poaching. The ten cameras, which were installed in June and will be checked monthly as part of the so-called Eyes on Leuser project, have already captured stunning video footage of 26 species, including rare Sumatran tigers, muddy Eurasian pigs, a Great Argus pheasant displaying its vibrantly colored feathers, and nocturnal animals rarely filmed in the wild. The project was initiated by Dutch conservationist Marten Slothouwer in cooperation with the Leuser Ecosystem Management Authority, an organization created by the governor of Aceh Province to help preserve the Leuser rainforests in the face of growing development pressures.