Gunung Leuser National Park

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Gunung Leuser National Park is a national park covering 9,500 km² in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, straddling the border of North Sumatra and Aceh provinces. The national park, named after 3,381 m height of Mount Leuser, protects a wide range of ecosystems. An orangutan sanctuary of Bukit Lawang is located inside the park.

1 Geography
2 Ecology
3 Threats
4 Footnotes
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

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This article has been tagged since January 2007.

[edit] Ecology

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[edit] Threats

In November 1995 the Langkat regency proposed a road to connect an old enclave, known as Sapo Padang, inside the park. Sensing of economic prospects, 34 families who had been living in the enclave formed a local cooperation unit in March 1996 and subsequently made a proposal to develop an oil palm plantation in August 1997.^[1] The oil palm proposal was granted by the regency and the head of the park agreed for the road construction.

In accordance to the government's Proverty Alleviation Program, the oil palm project proceed with 4,250 hectare of clearance area, but the project has made a major forest destruction of the park during its implementation.^[1] The local cooperation unit formed a partnership with PT Amal Tani which has strong relationship with the military command in the area.^{[note 1]} In January 1998, the Indonesian Forest Ministry granted a permission of 11 km road to be built. In June 1998, local office of the Forestry Service issued a decree stating that the Sapo Padang enclave was no longer legally a part of the national park; a controversial decision which consequently led to further forest destruction during the road construction and invited newcomers to slash and burn forest area to create local plantations a way deeper to the park.

In 1999, two university-based NGOs filed a legal suit to the Medan State Court, while a group of 61 lawyers brought a parallel case in the National Administrative Court. In July 1999 the National Administrative Court rejected the case, while the local NGOs won with 30 million rupiahs damage, but the legal process continues with appeals.^[1] The legal process did not stop the project that extensive logging and clearing, road-building and oil palm plantation continue operating inside the national park.

[edit] Footnotes

¹ PT Amal Tani was owned by the immediate family of the commander of the Indonesian army's territorial military command of the area, KODAM I Bukit Barisan. The principal function of the military partnership is to organize "administrative details" when obtaining permissions to build the roads and other related projects. The director of PT Amal Tani became the executive of the local cooperation unit. The military's unit charitable foundation, Yayasan Kodam I Bukit Barisan, also involved in the project.^[1]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Emily Matthews, Global Forest Watch (Organization) and Forest Watch Indonesia (Organization) (2002). The State of Forest in Indonesia. Washington DC: World Resources Institute. ISBN 1-56973-492-5. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.