WCS Design Challenge Brief

WCS Design Challenge Brief The Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) is arguably the most iconic species of wildlife in Malaysia. However the population in Malaysia is declining dramatically. From a previous count of approximately 500 individuals in 2003, the last count published in 2014 estimated the population at between 250-340 individuals. This is despite the National Tiger Action Plan for Malaysia setting a goal of having 1,000 tigers in Malaysia by 2020.The Malayan tiger is Classified as Tigers are the national animal of Malaysia and Malaysian athletesendangered by the IUCN (Photo Greg Hume regularly wear tiger stripes proudly when competing on the international stage. However, with populations falling it is very- Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via likely that Malaysia will see this remarkable animal becomeWikimedia Commons) extinct in the wild over the next decade unless the situation is improved.ThreatsThe main threats to tigers in Malaysia come from the destruction Malaysian athletes competing at the Southand degradation of their habitat, and poaching. There are many East Asian Games in Singapore wearingagencies across the country working to protect tigers yet their their tiger-striped team uniform (Photo:numbers have still fallen. The causes of these problems arecomplex and the solution may take many years to develop. In the IZZRAFIQ ALIAS www.thestar.co.my)meantime tigers are hunted in Malaysia’s forests daily. Thebiggest motivation for poaching of tigers is to sell their body partsin the illegal wildlife trade. Protection in MalaysiaAs an internationally recognised endangered species, tigers are totally protected in Malaysia under theWildlife Conservation Act 2010 meaning that no one is allowed to hunt them. Since tigers rely on otherforest species as prey, hunting of prey species such as deer and pig is subject to legal control. Thechallenge for agencies involved in protecting tigers is that tigers prefer to live away from humandevelopment in areas where prey are abundant. Since much of Malaysia’s forests have been convertedto palm oil plantations or logged for timber, most of the remaining habitats 1

suitable for tigers are in areas that are difficult for humans to access. Tigers also require very largeterritories to be able to breed successfully, there may only be one or two tigers in a 200-300 km2 area.These factors combine to make the challenge of protecting tigers very difficult for those involved.Who are we?Under the National Tiger Action Plan for Malaysia, Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia ha s beentasked with protecting tigers in the Endau Rompin Landscape of Johor and Pahang through scientificmonitoring, public awareness, education programmes and a range of other measures. We have teams ofresearchers who patrol the forest every day looking for signs of wildlife and any activities that mightthreaten tigers and their prey. We work in partnership with the Department for Wildlife and NationalParks, the Police, Forestry Departments, the Johor National Parks Corporation, private land owners andother conservation organisations. The Design ChallengeCamera traps currently used One of WCS Malaysia’s greatest needs is the ability to monitor key ‘hot -are not fit for purpose (Photo spots’ of the forest in as close to real-time as possible so we can report on illegal activity that could threaten tigers or their prey. Primarily theby Hustvedt - Own work. Licensed: CC monitoring required is visual, and would be of specific sites within theBY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons) forest approximately 10m2 in area. These sites are mostly in areas with no cellular coverage although the fringes of the forest areas do have coverage. The current equipment used is not fit for purpose since the camera units cannot provide near-live reporting and as they are not concealable, they are often stolen. Budget constraints are a further challenge. Due to the vast area that requires monitoring, a solution to this design challenge should be affordable so that large numbers of units can be deployed throughout the landscape.The Brief- WCS Malaysia need a solution that can visually monitor illegal activity in remote locations- When illegal incidents do occur, WCS staff need to be informed quickly so that the relevant authorities can be assigned to stop the illegal activityParticipating in this challenge will be an opportunity to help save this vitally important animal and thelandscape through which it roams. 2