Leuser Singkil Uses Advanced Satellite Surveillance to Remove Illegal Mining
Over the February–May 2026 period, FKL carried out 9 joint patrol and law enforcement operations in SMRS. They covered Resorts Trumon, Rundeng, and Singkil across Aceh Selatan, Subulussalam, and Aceh Singkil. The work picked up sharply in 2026, with 5 operations in the first half of the year compared with just 3 in 2025, which is an intensifying operation due to GC and Sheehan's operation due to GC and Sheehan support. Most activity was around Trumon, Trumon Timur, and Rundeng, where illegal oil palm planting and log hauling are the main threats.
Key results:
1,622 illegal oil palm stems destroyed inside the sanctuary
89.5 ha of illegal clearing was found, including an 85 ha illegal oil palm plantation near Keude Trumon.
8.8 m³ of illegally cut timber seized or destroyed
6.5 km of log-hauling tracks (ongkak) dismantled, cutting off routes used to move timber out of the swamp
8 perpetrators identified: 2 timber haulers and 6 people clearing land
Equipment secured: 4 chainsaws, 9 modified hauling carts and 1 motorbike, plus 3 encroachment huts dismantled, and 2 excavators
About 30 ha of fire-affected land were responded to in January 2026, and 2 formal warning letters were issued.
These operations are helping to reduce encroachment pressure on the Rawa Singkil peat swamp, but the repeated findings in Rundeng and Trumon show that pressure there continues. In the coming period we plan to keep up regular patrols in these hotspots and follow up on the identified perpetrators with the authorities.
