POLICY

Steep decline of 81.76% in deforestation rate within Leuser Ecosystem
March 11, 2021

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JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Following the announcement of the dramatic nationwide drop in the deforestation rate from 2018/2019 to 2019/2020, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has also taken a closer look at deforestation trends in several regions, including the Leuser Ecosystem - a landscape encompassing over 2.6 million hectares, an area more than 35 times the size of Singapore.

She reiterated that the Leuser Ecosystem is a huge conservation, protection and production landscape lying mostly in Aceh with parts in North Sumatra. It is also the only place on earth home to multiple flagship species such as Sumatran orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos.

According to Minister Nurbaya, a total of 734.81 hectares were deforested in the Leuser Ecosystem in 2019/2020, a sharp decline of 81.76% compared to the 4,027.66 hectares of deforestation in 2018/2019, most of which occurred outside conservation areas and protection forests. 

"The extent of the deforestation in 2019/2020 was just 0.04% of the existing natural forest cover within the Leuser Ecosystem," she said in a technical discussion at the ministry complex (Mar 8).

Minister Nurbaya pointed out that the Leuser Ecosystem, a multiple-purpose landscape, is still largely dominated by natural forest cover blanketing over 2 million hectares, or more than 28 times the size of Singapore. 

"In other words, 78.7% of the Leuser Ecosystem's total area is still composed of natural forest cover. The total economic value of this standing natural forest cover is clearly very substantial, including as a host for carbon sequestration and storage, as well as a habitat for various flagship species," she said.

The following chart shows the deforestation rate in the Leuser Ecosystem, which plummeted in 2019/2020 compared to 2018/2019. Minister Nurbaya said that this level of deforestation should continue to be used as a benchmark for the reduced deforestation corridor in the Leuser Ecosystem.

It is worth remembering that the 2013 Aceh spatial plan eliminated the Leuser Ecosystem's boundaries. Minister Nurbaya took the legal move of reincorporating the boundaries into the spatial plan in November 2016, as reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS in November last year. 

Gunung Leuser National Park

Minister Nurbaya also highlighted the fact that deforestation in Gunung Leuser National Park also fell sharply by 85.91%, from 561.51 hectares in 2018/2019 to a mere 79.14 hectares in 2019/2020. 

Gunung Leuser National Park is the key backbone of the Leuser Ecosystem, spanning 830 thousand hectares or more than 31% of the ecosystem's total area. Sumatran rhinos have been spotted quite recently in the national park, as reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS last year (Dec 16).

The chart below demonstrates the sharp fall in deforestation inside Gunung Leuser National Park from 2018/2019 to 2019/2020.

Minister Nurbaya said that community-driven encroachment within the national park continues to be handled through a community-based conservation partnership for ecosystem recovery purposes, rather than by strict law enforcement actions.

As of 2020, she continued, there were 6 locations for this community-based conservation partnership involving 39 community farmer groups and 1,580 families in 12 villages, covering an area of 3,301 hectares inside the national park.

"There are also community-based conservation partnership efforts underway with 25 community farmer groups and 845 families, aimed at ecosystem recovery, on land around the national park totaling 1,548 hectares,” she added.

Rawa Singkil and Tripa peat forests

Another backbone of the Leuser Ecosystem is the Rawa Singkil wildlife reserve, which the minister revealed as being almost entirely intact in early February this year, as reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Feb 4).

Minister Nurbaya also continues to pay close attention to the Tripa peat forests, home to a highly dense population of Sumatran orangutans. Law enforcement efforts are carried out regularly across the approximately five thousand hectares of peat forests in Tripa, as reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS in late January 2020.

She disclosed that the level of peat forest cover in Tripa in 2019/2020 was relatively stable. This remained the case by the time of the latest update in late February 2021, despite the opening up of a small block, which will form part of targeted monitoring and possible law enforcement efforts to prevent its further expansion.

Minister Nurbaya closed by emphasizing that Aceh continues to be one of Indonesia's most richly forested provinces, dominated by natural forest cover - not only inside the Leuser Ecosystem but also in other landscapes across the province.


TAGS: LEUSER ECOSYSTEM , DEFORESTATION , FLAGSHIP SPECIES

RELATED STORIES


POLICY

Steep decline of 81.76% in deforestation rate within Leuser Ecosystem
March 11, 2021

facebookfinal.png wafinal.png twitterfinal.png emailfinal.png

JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Following the announcement of the dramatic nationwide drop in the deforestation rate from 2018/2019 to 2019/2020, Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has also taken a closer look at deforestation trends in several regions, including the Leuser Ecosystem - a landscape encompassing over 2.6 million hectares, an area more than 35 times the size of Singapore.

She reiterated that the Leuser Ecosystem is a huge conservation, protection and production landscape lying mostly in Aceh with parts in North Sumatra. It is also the only place on earth home to multiple flagship species such as Sumatran orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos.

According to Minister Nurbaya, a total of 734.81 hectares were deforested in the Leuser Ecosystem in 2019/2020, a sharp decline of 81.76% compared to the 4,027.66 hectares of deforestation in 2018/2019, most of which occurred outside conservation areas and protection forests. 

"The extent of the deforestation in 2019/2020 was just 0.04% of the existing natural forest cover within the Leuser Ecosystem," she said in a technical discussion at the ministry complex (Mar 8).

Minister Nurbaya pointed out that the Leuser Ecosystem, a multiple-purpose landscape, is still largely dominated by natural forest cover blanketing over 2 million hectares, or more than 28 times the size of Singapore. 

"In other words, 78.7% of the Leuser Ecosystem's total area is still composed of natural forest cover. The total economic value of this standing natural forest cover is clearly very substantial, including as a host for carbon sequestration and storage, as well as a habitat for various flagship species," she said.

The following chart shows the deforestation rate in the Leuser Ecosystem, which plummeted in 2019/2020 compared to 2018/2019. Minister Nurbaya said that this level of deforestation should continue to be used as a benchmark for the reduced deforestation corridor in the Leuser Ecosystem.

It is worth remembering that the 2013 Aceh spatial plan eliminated the Leuser Ecosystem's boundaries. Minister Nurbaya took the legal move of reincorporating the boundaries into the spatial plan in November 2016, as reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS in November last year. 

Gunung Leuser National Park

Minister Nurbaya also highlighted the fact that deforestation in Gunung Leuser National Park also fell sharply by 85.91%, from 561.51 hectares in 2018/2019 to a mere 79.14 hectares in 2019/2020. 

Gunung Leuser National Park is the key backbone of the Leuser Ecosystem, spanning 830 thousand hectares or more than 31% of the ecosystem's total area. Sumatran rhinos have been spotted quite recently in the national park, as reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS last year (Dec 16).

The chart below demonstrates the sharp fall in deforestation inside Gunung Leuser National Park from 2018/2019 to 2019/2020.

Minister Nurbaya said that community-driven encroachment within the national park continues to be handled through a community-based conservation partnership for ecosystem recovery purposes, rather than by strict law enforcement actions.

As of 2020, she continued, there were 6 locations for this community-based conservation partnership involving 39 community farmer groups and 1,580 families in 12 villages, covering an area of 3,301 hectares inside the national park.

"There are also community-based conservation partnership efforts underway with 25 community farmer groups and 845 families, aimed at ecosystem recovery, on land around the national park totaling 1,548 hectares,” she added.

Rawa Singkil and Tripa peat forests

Another backbone of the Leuser Ecosystem is the Rawa Singkil wildlife reserve, which the minister revealed as being almost entirely intact in early February this year, as reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS (Feb 4).

Minister Nurbaya also continues to pay close attention to the Tripa peat forests, home to a highly dense population of Sumatran orangutans. Law enforcement efforts are carried out regularly across the approximately five thousand hectares of peat forests in Tripa, as reported by FORESTHINTS.NEWS in late January 2020.

She disclosed that the level of peat forest cover in Tripa in 2019/2020 was relatively stable. This remained the case by the time of the latest update in late February 2021, despite the opening up of a small block, which will form part of targeted monitoring and possible law enforcement efforts to prevent its further expansion.

Minister Nurbaya closed by emphasizing that Aceh continues to be one of Indonesia's most richly forested provinces, dominated by natural forest cover - not only inside the Leuser Ecosystem but also in other landscapes across the province.


TAGS: LEUSER ECOSYSTEM , DEFORESTATION , FLAGSHIP SPECIES

RELATED STORIES