Gunung Leuser: A Critical Biodiversity Hotspot
The Gunung Leuser Ecosystem spans 7,927 km² of tropical rainforest across Aceh and North Sumatra provinces. This national park is a biodiversity powerhouse, home to an estimated 10,000 plant species, nearly 600 bird species, 200 mammals, and close to 100 species of amphibians and reptiles. It is one of only two remaining habitats for the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan. Other unique species include the Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros, and Sumatran elephant.
However, when the park was established in 1980, its boundaries were poorly defined and enforced. Since then, illegal clearing—by both corporations and individual farmers—has taken a heavy toll. Today, more than four million people live within or near the park, many depending on small- to medium-scale rubber and palm oil plantations.
The wider Sumatran lowland rainforest of Indonesia stretches 1600 km down the length of Sumatra and is recognised globally for its exceptional biodiversity. Many rare, endangered, and unique species coexist here, including the Sumatran tiger, elephant, orangutan, and over 500 species of birds. The trees in the lowland rainforest canopy reach up to 90 meters in height, creating a striking and remarkable habitat.
Our partners in Sumatra removed oil palms, and the former plantations were successfully reforested into rainforest.
Seedlings of native rainforest tree species were grown and planted to reforest oil palm plantation areas within the National Park.