Water Catchment Mapping Shows Tiger Forests Supply Drinking Water to Millions in Sumatra

Forests sheltering fewer than 400 tigers also supply drinking water to millions of people.

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Intact tropical forests can significantly reduce flood intensity by regulating rainfall runoff.

Sumatran rainforests function as major water catchment systems regulating river flow and groundwater recharge. Many communities depend on these watersheds for agriculture and domestic supply. Protected tiger habitats overlap with critical hydrological zones. Deforestation increases erosion, sedimentation, and flood risk downstream. Preserving tiger landscapes therefore supports water security infrastructure. Satellite and hydrological models demonstrate the link between intact canopy cover and stable river systems. The predator’s survival coincides with watershed integrity. Habitat loss would compromise both biodiversity and basic services.

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Water infrastructure costs escalate when natural regulation declines. Governments may need to invest in artificial flood control or water treatment. Maintaining forest cover is often more cost-effective than engineered alternatives. Conservation policy intersects with urban planning and agriculture. International development agencies recognize ecosystem services as economic assets. The tiger’s forest becomes part of regional utility systems.

For rural households, clean water is immediate necessity rather than abstract policy. The presence of an endangered predator may feel remote, yet its habitat underpins daily survival. The irony is quiet: preserving space for a carnivore also preserves drinking water. Biodiversity protection thus safeguards both apex predators and human communities. Extinction would ripple through ecological and civic systems simultaneously.

Source

World Bank

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