Sitting on the northern border of Peninsular Malaysia, Royal Belum State Park is thought to be one of the oldest rain forests in the world, and drone footage reveals acres upon acres of densely packed foliage. So why, amid so much lush greenery, is biodiversity struggling? While climate change and unsustainable industrial and agricultural practices are wreaking havoc for species across Southeast Asia, in Royal Belum, something else recently came to light.
In 2017, hundreds of poachers’ snares were found there, which had a devastating effect on the forest’s wildlife. According to a 2018–19 WWF-Malaysia survey, Royal Belum had only 10 tigers. “I just couldn’t believe there were so few,” says Christopher Wong, tiger lead, WWF-Malaysia. The bad news was a wakeup call. WWF-Malaysia partnered with the Orang Asli, the local Indigenous community, to form Project Stampede: patrol teams tasked with monitoring the forests and removing snares.
Over the next few years, they reduced the number of snares in the forest by 98%. In 2022, zero snares were detected in the forests, and more recently, camera trap footage showed several cubs with their mother. This was the first sign that tiger numbers here could rebound.