2017 Progress Review - Leuser Ecosystem

Global Conservation has made good progress in 2017 fortifying protection for the critically endangered Bengkung Trumon Wildlife Sanctuary, an over 1 million hectares core zone of the Leuser Ecosystem, the last place on Earth where tigers, elephants, orangutans and rhinos still live together.

Focusing on the Southwest of Leuser Ecosystem, the Bengkung-Trumon Wildlife Sanctuary, our work effectively blocks further land grabs for palm oil and illegal forestry from the South in one of the most critical habitats and areas for connectivity of wildlife in Sumatra. 

Working with local partners Forum Leuser Konservation (FKL) and Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) to deploy integrated Park and Wildlife Protection systems for Leuser Ecosystem, Global Conservation has supported Satellite Communications, SMART Ranger Patrols, Community Intelligence, UAV Drones and Aerial Surveillance.

Despite pledges by the President of Indonesia to stop further clearing of virgin forests in national parks and protected areas for palm oil plantations, legal and illegal clearing of intact forest ecosystems continues at a rapid pace.

Leuser is home to some 382 bird species, at least 105 different mammals and 95 reptiles and amphibians. It helps to provide clean water for millions of people and acts as a massive store of carbon.

Leuser Ecosystem is declared UNESCO World Heritage in Danger and faces accelerating threats by illegal and commercial interests in palm oil, rubber, logging and mining. In just the past 5 years, Leuser Ecosystem has lost over 20% of its lowland forests. If this trend continues, many of Leuser’s critical wildlife habitats and corridors will be lost forever.

The forests of Leuser are burning to the ground. Industrial-scale palm oil plantations, mining, logging, energy projects and new roads and infrastructure are eating away at every corner of the ecosystem.

Global Conservation and our partners are raising critical funding to protect and sustainably develop the Leuser Ecosystem to enable its permanent protection over the next ten years. 

The next three years are extremely critical for establishing the legal and institutional protection, strong local partners and international support needed to reverse accelerating threats facing Leuser’s core forests and wildlife habitats.

Leuser Ecosystem is the only ‘Coast to Summit’ ecosystem in Indonesia with national park protection protecting 6 major habitats across 4 contiguous elevations. Leuser Ecosystem is one of only a few intact forests and wildlife habitats with megafauna left in Indonesia.

While demand-reduction campaigns and legal action against palm oil companies has given us some success in the courts and ministries, rampant land clearing, logging and illegal palm plantations are continuing to destroy the Leuser Ecosystem rainforests and wildlife habitats at an accelerating pace.

Global Conservation works alongside park authorities with local communities to implement Global Park Defense – technology, systems and training along with a proven methodology to achieve ‘No Kill, No Cut’ protection to enable national parks to combat and eliminate illegal poaching, logging and mining.

Leuser Ecosystem SMART Patrols combined with low-cost satellite communications for ranger teams is reversing clearing and killing in Bengkong Trumon Wildlife Sanctuary’s over 1 million acres of forest habitat for orangutans, tigers and elephants. Without Global Conservation support, large swaths of Southwest Leuser Ecosystem would be lost.

Progress Review -  2017

Our work has accomplished a number of critical goals so far in 2017 including:

Establishing the Benkong Trumon Wildlife Sanctuary

We are providing the critical funding to set up a 1 million acres new wildlife sanctuary for Sumatran Tigers, Elephant, Orangutans and Rhinos. We are supporting 3 active FKL Patrols through training, rations and salary bonuses for milestone achievement in Park, Forest and Wildlife Protection. Government forestry officers are embedded with FKL Patrols to ensure interdiction, removal and arrests of perpetrators.

New Soraya Ranger Station

Global Conservation funded the rebuilding and reopening of the Soraya Forest Research Station in Sumatra.  This station is strategically important to monitor all river traffic and critical wildlife habitat.

Critical Habitat Acquisition – Suaq Preserve

Global Conservation, with support from the Quick Response Biodiversity Fund, is enabling the purchase of 12 new land parcels and securing 100 meters along the river banks to stop deforestation.

Deployment of UAV Drones

Global Conservation has funded acquisition and deployment of advanced orthographic mapping drones to document illegal deforestation within and around Leuser Ecosystem. Allowing the Leuser team to see large areas of forests far from access roads, UAV Drones are proving invaluable in the fight to get government, community leaders and law enforcement to stop forest and wildlife habitat destruction.

Mapping Encroachment in the Leuser National Park

Using UAV Drones, we documented critical orangutan habitat being destroyed with the the Gunung Leuser National Park. Starting next year will be the major task of removing illegal palm plantations and reforestation.

Removal of Illegal Palm Plantations and Reforestation

Critical areas for wildlife are being restored in Gunung Leuser National Park and the Suaq Preserve. FKL, along with forestry officials are prosecuting and reforesting 20-30+ of the worst offending illegal concessions.

Supporting FKL Ranger Patrols

In 2016-2017, FKL destroyed or dismantled 149 snares, 7 cage and glue traps, and  burned 55 poacher camps/lodges. FKL found 105 cases of illegal logging, consisting of 68 findings of processed timber, 17 cases of illegal logging activities, and teams destroyed 10 logger camps/lodges.

Patrols target the highest risk areas experiencing forest and wildlife crime activities, especially areas with high value trees (hardwoods like mahogany, others). FKL patrol teams always try to patrol as deeply as possible into the forest to find evidence of forest crimes, especially in the Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) area.