Protect the Leuser Ecosystem and its Critically Endangered Species from Deforestation, Habitat Destruction, and Other Threats

Sumatra, an island within the Western Province of Indonesia, is home to the Leuser Ecosystem. This richly biodiverse and wholly intact rainforest (7,927km², 6.5m acres) on the northern part of the island is one of the oldest intact rainforests on the planet. It is greatly impacted by rampant deforestation for palm oil production, which in turn eliminates the habitat for native megafauna, including orangutan, Sumatran rhinoceros, Sumatran tiger, and Sumatran elephant, and undermines its otherwise stable and diverse ecosystem.

Habitat fragmentation is especially a problem for the orangutan, an arboreal great ape. Shrinking landscapes result in the animals’ overcrowding and overeating certain areas, as well as entering human and cultivated areas, causing conflict and violence. Therefore, creating corridor programs by buying up small parcels of land from local farmers/communities is key, as is patrolling these regions to identify illegal clearing. In cases where orangutans have been rescued from the illegal trade, displaced from habitat loss, or injured due to human-wildlife conflict and cannot be rewilded due to trauma and harm, they must be placed in sanctuaries.

Teaching communities alternatives to farming (honey, rattan, nuts, coffee, even rubber) for palm oil is also an important tactic for reversing destructive and extractive tendencies. These ”social forestry” models take a participatory approach to forest management, strengthening local communities’ sense of ownership of the Leuser Ecosystem and the potential for sustainable livelihoods around it.

CCF has committed to supporting the Leuser Ecosystem in collaboration with four NGOs under the umbrella of LEAF (Leuser Ecosystem Action Fund), each with roughly 20 years of experience in the region, by investing over $1.2M evenly across the 4 partners. These include:

• OIC - Orangutan preservation/forest patrol: their work focuses on the conservation of orangutans and their forest homes in Sumatra. Programs include habitat restoration, human-orangutan conflict mitigation, and law enforcement, consisting of forest patrols plus investigation of forest crime and wildlife trade.

• HAKA - Advocacy and campaign /legal action: they successfully sue large corporations for illegal mining, construction of dams, and setting of fires in carbon-rich peatland.

• FKL - Forest conservation and restoration of Leuser: they step up with government-level patrolling (sometimes in place of the government) and the relocation of rhinos as needed. They are establishing the first Sumatran rhino sanctuary in Aceh, in support of a national emergency plan to prevent the extinction of this critically endangered species.

• YEL - Focused on the conservation, rescue and relocation of orangutans impacted by deforestation in the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra

Together these four NGOs under the LEAF umbrella work holistically to protect the Leuser Ecosystem from deforestation and habitat destruction, support reforestation of degraded areas, work with local communities to promote sustainable livelihoods that are compatible with conservation goals and find humane solutions to support trafficked wildlife.

Impact Overview:

• $1.5M investment across 4 NGO partners