Tompotika, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Tompotika, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

An international team of photographers gathered on the island of Sulawesi for a Tripods in the Mud photographic expedition in partnership with the Alliance for Tompotika Conservation / Aliansi Konservasi Tompotika (AlTo). Joining the effort were ILCP Fellows Sandesh Kadur (India), and Kevin Schafer (USA), joined by Riza Marlon, a well-known Indonesian wildlife photographer. The mission focused on documenting biodiversity on the Tompotika Peninsula, a remote area in central Sulawesi, which, like much of Indonesia, is under threat from widespread habitat loss, uncontrolled hunting, and natural resource extraction.

Mount Tompotika rises to 1600 meters at the eastern tip of the central peninsula of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Rich in tropical forests and surrounded by coral reefs, Sulawesi is also home to thousands of plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world. Using sound science and creative methods, AlTo works directly with local Tompotikans and their government to effectively conserve Tompotika’s natural heritage.

The images gathered on this expedition will be used by AlTo to create awareness of their work to protect habitat, and to highlight the need for creation of a new forest reserve on the slopes of Mt. Tompotika, the highest peak in the region. Camera traps set in the forest captured endemic primates and rarely seen animals, while considerable effort was made to capture the breeding cycle of the endangered Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) – a bird which lays its eggs to be incubated in the hot sands of the coastal beaches. Protection of the Maleo is a key AlTo program.