THE FINAL CUT Illegal Logging in Indonesia's Orangutan Parks
Introduction   Indonesia's Forests   Forest Reform   Tanjung Puting   Gunung Leuser   History Problems   Aceh Province   Illegal Logging   Tripa Swamp   Singkil Swamp   Kluet Swamp   Community Action   Conclusions   Recommendations	Gunung Leuser National Park - History and Importance Gunung Leuser is one of the largest Indonesian National Parks covering 890,000 hectares and situated in the north of the island of Sumatra. It formerly consisted of a number of nature reserves. Its biodiversity is staggering, boasting many high profile mammals such as the orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhinoceros, Malayan sun bear, Asian elephant and clouded leopard. Of the 10,000 plant species recorded in the West Indo-Malayan region, it is estimated that 45% are found in the Leuser ecosystem. Gunung Leuser is largely mountainous covering more than 100 kilometres of the Bukit Barisan mountain range, but it also encompasses the Sumatran west coast in South Aceh Province including turtle beaches, mangroves, swamp land and lowland rainforest. The park and the surrounding ecosystem are critically important for protection of the water supply, so vital for the forests and the people living in surrounding areas. The swamp forests act as a carbon sink and also absorb water, so preventing flooding further downstream in agricultural areas. Without this ecological protection, flooding becomes more widespread.
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