Research overview: oil palm expansion and Sumatran tiger habitat loss

Sumatra has lost vast areas of lowland rainforest to oil palm and pulpwood plantations, the principal driver of Sumatran tiger habitat loss. This overview surveys how plantation expansion clears and fragments forest, depletes prey, increases conflict and snaring, and pushes tigers into shrinking, disconnected blocks. It reviews how remote sensing tracks the pace of conversion and how concession boundaries and protected areas intersect with remaining tiger habitat. The synthesis frames the palm oil economy as the dominant force shaping Sumatran tiger futures, the backdrop against which climate change adds further stress, and explains why supply-chain pressure, land-use governance, and protected-area enforcement are central to conserving this island's last tigers.