The Bukit Tigapuluh or “Thirty Hills” ecosystem in Sumatra is home to extraordinary rainforests that offer refuge to orangutans, tigers and elephants.
While it’s recognised as a rare treasure for its exceptional diversity of life, Thirty Hills is under enormous threat. 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.
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 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.
“To save the orangutan you’ve got to save the rainforest.” Leif Cocks, President of The Orangutan Project. By leasing the land and managing it for conservation we’ll save another vital 38,000 hectares.
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.
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