THE LEUSER ECOSYSTEM

THE LEUSER ECOSYSTEM

Published By : Shivam Gupta

Context:

An investigation by the global watchdog Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has shown that various food, cosmetics and finance companies have links with companies implicated in the destruction of the Leuser Ecosystem, a forest area on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

What’s at Stake:

The Leuser Ecosystem is among the most ancient and life-rich ecosystems ever documented by science, and is the last place on Earth where Sumatran orangutans, elephants, tigers, rhinos and sun bears still roam the same habitat.

Leuser Ecosystem is among the most ancient and life-rich ecosystems ever documented by science and is a world-class hotspot of biodiversity and is widely acknowledged to be among the most important areas of intact rainforest left in all of Southeast Asia. 

Location and Topography:

  • The ecosystem has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Located mostly within the province of Aceh on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, it is by every measure a world-class hotspot of biodiversity and is widely acknowledged to be among the most important areas of intact rainforest left in all of Southeast Asia..
  • The ecosystem stretches across the province of Aceh and North Sumatra, Indonesia.
  • It spans 2.6 million hectares, almost three times the size of Yellowstone National Park, USA.
  • Its diverse landscape includes lowland and montane rainforests and over 185,000 hectares of carbon-rich peatlands.
  • Montane rainforests, also called cloud forests, are vegetation of tropical mountainous regions in which the rainfall is often heavy and persistent condensation occurs because of cooling of moisture-laden air currents deflected upward by the mountains.

Wildlife and Biodiversity:

At least 105 mammal species, 382 bird species, and 95 reptile and amphibian species, including clouded leopards, hornbills and the largest flowers in the world, can be found in the teeming forests of the Leuser Ecosystem. Formerly known as the “Emerald Island,” Sumatra’s once lush forest landscapes are now largely gone, destroyed by decades of industrial encroachment.

The Sumatran orangutan is at extreme risk of becoming the first great ape to go extinct in the wild. The last major stands of habitat for the Sumatran orangutan are found in the Leuser Ecosystem, which supports about 75 percent of the world’s remaining population. In order to save the Sumatran orangutan from extinction, we must protect the integrity of the Leuser Ecosystem. Other critical species face a similar fate. The Sumatran tiger is thought to number less than 500 individuals left, the Sumatran rhino even fewer still, with the Sumatran elephant similarly imperiled.

Human Impacts, Human Rights:

The Leuser Ecosystem stretches across the province of Aceh and North Sumatra on the island of Sumatra. These provinces are home to a diverse range of rural communities, many of whom have lived in the region for generations and depend on the uniquely biodiverse forest ecosystem for their food and livelihoods.

The Leuser Ecosystem: A Critical Carbon Sink for the Climate

The Leuser Ecosystem plays an outsize role regulating the global climate by storing massive amounts of carbon in its peatlands and standing forests.

Peatlands are wet, carbon-rich areas that have formed through thousands of years of undecomposed leaf litter and organic material accumulation.

When these areas are drained and the peat is exposed to air, it begins to oxidize and releases large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere

Possible Threats:

  • Industrial development for palm oil, pulp and paper plantations and mining continues to threaten the entire ecosystem.
  • The fires from this widespread destruction have caused major haze pollution from Singapore to Jakarta, resulting in huge economic losses and public health issues.
  • Sumatra’s unique species are dying out with their negligible populations left and few on the verge of extinction.

What are the possible ways for the protection:

  • There has been enormous progress made in raising international understanding of the importance of protecting the forests and in pressuring the major corporate players involved to accept responsibility and begin to take action.
  • However, the forests are still falling and the ecosystem is still shrinking. Corporate policies and government regulations are only as good as their follow through.
  • Strong local partners and international support are needed to reverse accelerating threats facing Leuser’s core forests and wildlife habitats.
  • Rigorous monitoring, enforcement, and delivering incentives that improve practices in the palm oil sector is key to stopping more efforts to cut down the region’s remaining rainforests.

 

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