Species and Habitats

Visit any intact area of the Leuser Ecosystem, gaze up at the canopy for a while and it is easy to imagine that the forests stretch on forever in a teeming chorus of life.

The sounds, smells and sights are magical, but this is no isolated wilderness. Rather, the Leuser is a matrix of different land uses, including zones for nature reserves, industrial forestry and community use. LEAF supports a range of interventions that help to balance the many demands on the landscape. Ranger patrols dramatically reduce poaching rates. Conservationists mitigate human-wildlife conflict (often between communities and elephants who have a taste for village crops) while medical teams rehabilitate animals who have been shot or beaten, injured by snares or made homeless by deforestation. Via the justice system, campaigners bring legal actions to hold the perpetrators of major forest crime to account. Scientific monitoring tracks forest health at a very granular scale and allows for real-time deforestation alerts. Key areas of forest habitat are being restored including those within palm oil concessions. Through these actions and more, LEAF and our partners aim to improve rare species’ chances of survival, and achieve lasting conservation in this incredible place.