Saving the “Thirty Hills” Ecosystem in Sumatra

Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, which was established in 1995, covers only 42 percent of the landscape. The remainder of the rainforest is unprotected and attractive to developers keen to expand rubber and palm oil plantations. Given the rapid pace at which Sumatra is losing its ancient rainforests to deforestation, protection for Thirty Hills is needed now.

Donate now to help save vital orangutan habitat

The Orangutan Project is partnering to manage two blocks of rainforest as a single restoration concession bordering Bukit Tigapuluh National Park. This will significantly expand the protected area around the park to 182,000 hectares, benefiting wildlife, local communities and indigenous people. 

The forest provides vital habitat for 178 orangutans and is part of the most successful reintroduction program for the Sumatran orangutan.

At particularly high-risk are the 178 orangutans estimated to live in the Bukit Tigapuluh landscape, more than 120 Sumatran elephants and 30 Sumatran tigers. Most of the orangutans are survivors of the illegal pet trade and part of the most successful reintroduction program for the Sumatran orangutan. The Bukit Tigapuluh landscape has been declared a “Global Priority Tiger Conservation Landscape,” one of just 20 in the world.

Donate now - Every $10.11 protects one hectare
 

The Orangutan Project and its partners, WWF and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (Germany) are pursuing a for-profit solution with local communities to save some of the most important forests left in Sumatra by leasing Ecosystem Restoration Concessions (ERC) under Indonesian law. This allows the forest to be leased and managed for its natural values, rather than for short-term financial gain obtained from logging or clearing for the establishment of plantations.

Together we’ll save 38,000 hectares (93,900 acres)

Leif Cocks, President of The Orangutan Project said, “To save the orangutan you’ve got to save the rainforest. By leasing the land and managing it for conservation we’ll save another 38,000 vital hectares.”  Most of the land in Indonesia is state owned and is leased for exploitative uses. The threat is that the Indonesian government might otherwise lease the land to companies involved in deforestation for rubber or palm oil plantations.”

The cost of leasing the land and protecting it through patrols to prevent illegal activities and support the community with sustainable livelihoods is only $10.11 per hectare. Saving habitat is one of the most cost effective ways we can save orangutans. The project will include working with AMAN (Indigenous People Alliance of the Archipelago) for close coordination with the indigenous, forest-dwelling Orang Rimba and Talang Mamak communities, as well as the local Melayu communities established in and around the concession.

In total, the area is home to over 59 species of mammals, six species of primates and 192 species of birds. Some of the endangered species here include Clouded Leopards, Agile Gibbons, Malayan Tapirs, Sun Bears and Marbled Cats.

Of an estimated 1,300 Sumatran Elephants left in the wild, more than 150 remain unprotected in the lowland rainforests of the Bukit Tigapuluh ecosystem.

Our target is to raise over $1,840,920. Please Donate Now, together we can make a real difference

Most of the forest in Indonesia is owned by the state, which leases it as “concessions” for exploitative uses, which include logging, mining and agriculture.

 

Photo of orangutan: thanks to Craig Jones, SOCP.