Indonesia has the fourth largest population of any country in the world. The pressure of this rapidly increasing population has resulted in widespread conversion or degradation of natural wetlands. Otters, as aquatic predators at the top of the food chain, are under great threat from the increased pesticide use as well as habitat destruction.

Four species of otters occur in Indonesia, two of which (the Eurasian and the Hairy Nosed Otters) have recently been acknowledged to be endangered in Indonesia. The project seeks to establish population numbers and distribution of these two otter species in Sumatra, identify the main threats to their existence, increase local people's awareness of the rarity of these creatures, and to set further priorities for the conservation of otters in Sumatra and in Indonesia in general.