Peat swamp forests of Southeast Asia are considered one of the unique ecosystems in the region. To understand the faunal composition and the effect of land use changes, we investigated ground-dwelling mammals and birds using camera traps in a natural peat swamp forest and a planted acacia forest in the Giam Siak Kecil–Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve, Sumatra.

We obtained a total of 1,856 images, comprising 23 species, including 11 vulnerable or endangered species. The species composition of faunal communities in the natural peat swamp forest was different from that of lowland/hill forests of Sumatra and Borneo. Only three species, namely wild boar (Sus sp.), lesser mouse-deer (Tragulus sp.), and southern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) dominated in all images.

Faunal diversity was low in the planted acacia forest. The results indicate that the remnant natural peat swamp forests should be carefully protected and the landscape design of industrial tree plantations could be improved to retain the original rich biodiversity of the peat swamp forests.