(community activities around the Leuser Ecosystem)
Leuser Ecosystem is one of the most important conservation areas on earth. Located in the two northernmost province of Sumatra (Aceh and North Sumatra), with an area of 2.6 million hectares, which is very rich in biodiversity.
The Leuser Ecosystem is spread in 13 districts (Aceh Barat, Nagan Raya, West Aceh, South Aceh, Aceh Singkil, Subulussalam, Southeast Aceh, Gayo Lues, Aceh Tengah, Bener Meriah, Aceh Utara, Aceh Timur and Aceh Tamiang) in Aceh Province and 4 Langkat, Dairi, Karo and Deli Serdang, North Sumatra.
With the dramatic topography makes ecosystem function as a life-support system of more than four million people living in the surrounding area. This ecosystem is where the greatest protection from the rain forest undisturbed Malesian in the world. Leuser is also a rain forest that has a variety of animals and are well known in the world of science, such as mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, invertebrates, plants and other organisms.
Leuser also has the highest number of fauna in the region. This ecosystem is home to 105 species of mammals, 382 species of birds and at least 95 species of reptiles and amphibians (54% of the terrestrial fauna of Sumatra). This forest is considered as the last place in Southeast Asia that has the size and quality sufficient to maintain the population of endangered species, including the Sumatran tiger, Sumatran orangutan, the Sumatran rhinoceros, Sumatran elephants, and leopards.
With two mountains and a variety of habitats, Leuser has many ecological functions, which is one of the most important is to provide a constant water supply to the surrounding area and local climate regulation. Other functions include prevention of erosion and floods, pest prevention, carbon sequestration (for setting the global climate), natural beauty and biodiversity are spectacular (for tourism), hydropower potential, germplasm (horticulture), pollination of commercial crops is important, filtration airborne dust (leading to soil fertility). Although the Leuser Ecosystem significant value both locally and globally, are the major challenges facing relating to the conservation and sustainable utilization of this region.
Many groups have an interest in the area - for wood, rattan, wildlife, agriculture, and agriculture. While most areas designated as forest ecosystem protection and conservation areas, there are also plantations, timber concessions, community forests and some of the outlying villages.
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