The Last Place on Earth for Sumatran Elephants, Tigers, Rhinos, Orangutans

 

The Leuser Ecosystem in Northern Sumatra is one of the largest continuous expanses of lowland forest remaining in Asia. This unique area of exceptional biodiversity is also the last place on earth where Sumatran rhinos, elephants, tigers, and orangutans co-exist in one ecosystem.

 

Exceptional Biodiversity

Spanning approximately 2.6 million hectares, both the terrain and wildlife of the Leuser Ecosystem are extraordinarily diverse. Centered on the Barisan Mountain Chain, the Leuser Ecosystem drops steeply into the Indian Ocean on the west side. Meanwhile, on the east side, it slopes down more gradually into the Sunda Straight. Its six different eco-regions transition from high-altitude cloud forests through tropical pines and montane forests.  Further down the slope are where the lowland rain forests meet the coastal mangrove forests and peat swamps.

Throughout its many distinct ecoregions are 174 species of mammals, 450 bird species, 191 reptile species, 52 amphibian species, and over 4,500 plant species.

Many of these species live nowhere else in the world. According to the World Heritage Convention, at least 92 endemic species live within its boundaries. Among these are specialists, restricted in their distribution. For example, numerous species found in the peat swamp do not inhabit dryland forests.  Also, many high altitude montane species that do not descend to lower levels.

Some of the many rare mammals in the Leuser Ecocystem include clouded leopards (Neofelis diardi), sun bears (Ursus malayanus), and wild dogs (Cuon alpinus). Primates include leaf-monkeys, slow loris (Nycticebus coucang), long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), pig-tailed macaques (M. nemestrina), and siamangs (Hylobates syndactylus). Other species include the Malayan tapir, the Sunda otter-civet (Cynogale bennettii), and salt-water crocodiles.

The Lowland Elephants

Within the Leuser Ecosystem, the lowland forests are among the most important habitats for the last of the Sumatran elephants. The undulating lowland hills and rich fertile soils fed by a network of streams and rivers, are ideal habitat. As a result, the Leuser Ecosystem is one of the last refuges for Sumatran elephants.  In fact, it is home to the largest sub-population of elephants in Sumatra, numbering 200-250 elephants.

An Ecosystem in Peril

This important refuge for elephants, rhinos, tigers, orangutans, and over 5,300 other species is at a crossroad, threatened by poaching, oil palm plantations, mining, dams, and expanding infrastructure. Human actions have created a substantial barrier to movement that cuts deep into the entire ecosystem. Fragmented forests are losing species unable to cross the degraded landscapes.

Human-wildlife conflicts are also on the rise at an alarming rate, with deadly results. Elephants crossing through oil palm plantations, farmlands, and villages are persecuted, electrocuted, and poisoned.

Poaching is rising at an alarming rate with an influx of hunters from Central Sumatra and other Asian countries targeting elephants, rhinos, tigers, pangolins, hornbills, and wild birds. With insatiable demand on the black market for tusks, horns, feathers, skins, and other body parts used in traditional medicine, cultural rituals, and decorative arts, species are moving closer to extinction.

 

Intan Seutia, a two-month-old Sumatran elephant baby playing at Conservation Response Unit (CRU) in Trumon, Aceh, Indonesia on May 10, 2017. CRU was established to protect wildlife from hunting and habitat destruction

Intan Seutia, a two-month-old Sumatran elephant baby playing at the Conservation Response Unit (CRU) in ACEH

Saving the Last of Sumatra’s Lowland Forests

SavingSpecies is working with Forum Konservasi Leuser (FKL) to protect the largest remaining tract of lowland forest in Sumatra. Together, we are establishing an important elephant corridor to protect and restore connectivity of large forest blocks in the northeast Leuser Ecosystem (Serbajadi District, Aceh Timur Regency, Aceh Province).

Maintaining connectivity will help ensure that wildlife can move freely, preventing populations from becoming isolated. Without this corridor, increasing human development will further sever the connections between forest blocks.  Human encroachment will impede wildlife movement, especially of larger wildlife such as Sumatran elephants.

As our initial step in a three-year plan, SavingSpecies helped FKL acquire the first three parcels in a series of acquisitions needed to complete the corridor. The long-term goal is to connect a 5,500-ha area recently designated by the government as an elephant conservation area with nearly 300,000 ha of protected forest (production forest, protection forest and national park).

We expect to complete the corridor in the coming years to reduce wildlife conflicts.  Our approach combines forested elephant routes, increased monitoring  to impede poaching, and establishing meaningful protections that preserve important forests from exploitation.

How Can You Help?

We will continue to use both science and savvy to Connect, Protect, and Restore forests in the Leuser Ecosystem.  But we need your help.

Our program and partnership is anticipated to be a multi-year effort, and your support will help us fund these purchases. We invite you to join us in this ambitious effort!

Donating to this project puts trees in the ground for biodiversity, and sequesters carbon from the atmosphere. In short, supporting this project helps fight the two most pressing environmental problems the world faces—mass species extinction and global warming—at the same time!

Please support this dream forest restoration and connectivity effort, and help us share hope for the future of Sumatra’s magnificent natural treasures!