LEUSER RAIN FOREST THE LAST WILDLIFE PARADISE IN THE WORLD

The Leuser Ecosystem constitutes the third largest tropical rainforest complex in the world, after the Amazon forest in Brazil and the Zaire forest in Africa. Located in the northern part of the Sumatran island, authoritatively this area belongs to the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra. More precisely the geographical position of the Leuser Ecosystem is 2.250 – 4.950 North and 96.350 – 98.550 East. The average rainfall per year is 2544 mm and the average temperature is 26 degrees Celsius during the day and 21 degrees Celsius at night.

The Leuser Ecosystem covers an area of 2,634,874 hectares. The bigger part is located in Aceh .The Leuser Ecosystem landscape consists of a wide range of habitats including beaches, swamps, rivers, lowlands, highlands and mountains covered in clouds. Research conducted by experts show that at least 45% of the total estimated number of plant species in the West Indo-Malay region, 85% of the total estimated number of bird species and 54% of the total estimated number of animal species in Sumatra can be found in the Leuser Ecosystem. The Leuser Ecosystem stores 4,500 flora and fauna species comprising a huge germ plasm resource.

The documented species includes 710 animal species (including 128 mammalian species, 424 bird species, 96 amphibian species and 24 fish species) amongst which 180 varieties have been declared as endangered species. Leuser is unique as it is the only ecosystem in the world where five rare wildlife species live side by side in the same region, i.e. the Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus), the Kappi, Sikundur and Sembala highlands into the Mount Leuser Wildlife Reserve (1970’s), reassigning the Mount Leuser Wildlife Reserve as a National Park (1980), and initiating collaboration between the Indonesian Government and the European Union to conserve Leuser (1991).

The Leuser Ecosystem was legalised through a decree of the Minister of Forestry No. 227/KPTS-II/1995 and was further strengthened by Presidential Decree No. 33/1998, the Minister of Forestry’s Decree No. 190/Kpts-II/2001 (concerning the Leuser Ecosystem boundary in Aceh), the Minister of Forestry’s Decree No. 10193/KPTS-II/2002 (concerning the Leuser Ecosystem boundary in North Sumatra), law No. 11/2006 concerning the Acehnese Government and the Government Regulation No. 26/2008 establishing the Leuser Ecosystem as a national strategic area.