Legacy Landscapes Fund Project Candidate | Status 05/2021
The Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) is located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Here it lies at the heart of the Leuser ecosystem, which spans an area of more than 26,000 km² and is one of Southeast Asia’s largest intact rainforest ecosystems.
GLNP is the only place on earth that is home, collectively, to the wild tiger, orangutan, elephant, and rhino. The Leuser ecosystem contains approximately 150 individuals of the critically endangered Sumatran tiger. It also provides crucial habitats for numerous other critically endangered animals, including 11,700 Sumatran orangutans, more than 350 Sumatran elephants, and a viable population of Sumatran rhinos, one of the most threatened mammals on earth.
The park’s outstanding environmental, cultural, and economic values have been recognized through numerous international designations: for example, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its 43 forest watersheds provide key ecosystem services to more than 6.9 million people.
Key Threats
- Habitat loss caused by forest conversion to palm oil plantation
- Illegal logging, mining, and encroachment
- Expanding illegal settlements
Key Activities
- Strengthen protected area management capacities and forest management units
- Engage stakeholders, mitigate social risks and human-wildlife incidents
- Roll out sustainable land use management strategies
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