Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) straddles two provinces: Aceh (covering southwest Aceh, South Aceh, Southeast Aceh, and Gayo Lues districts) and North Sumatra (covering Langkat and Karo districts). WCS-IP works to support the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in both GLNP and its buffer areas. One of the first national parks in Indonesia, GLNP was named after Mount Leuser located within the park. The park covers 830.268,95 ha of tropical rainforest in northern Sumatra and part of Bukit Barisan range across Sumatra Island.
Gunung Leuser National Park is the only ecosystem in the world where Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhino, Sumatran elephant and Sumatran orangutan, four iconic endangered mammals, coexist. Some of these species are also registered as WCS-IP global priority species. Due to its wide range of biodiversity and considering its importance to the world, GLNP is included in the Biosphere Reserve and Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra by UNESCO World Heritage Site.
CHALLENGES
Gunung Leuser National Park encompasses the biggest forest block in northern Sumatra. The park’s conservation area management unit is facing challenges related to the risk of habitat loss. With its abundant valuable resources, poaching becomes a major threat within the park, harming various species which hold a vital role for the ecosystem’s sustainability and balance.
OUR SUPPORT
In supporting GLNP and Aceh Conservation Agency, WCS-IP has established five teams of Wildlife Response Unit (WRU) spread across South and southeast Aceh, Langkat, East Aceh, and Aceh Singkil, the support of which has shown significant results in tiger conservation.
To increase the effectiveness of area protection, WCS-IP and GLNP run SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) patrol initiative. In 2015, the SMART Patrol teams, which consist of WCS-IP staff and GLNP forest rangers, patrolled a total distance of 2207.923 km in three management areas of the park.