Legal protections for wildlife

A new Wildlife Management Law was enacted in 2019 by the Government of Aceh, to serve as a legal basis for improving the conservation status of the province’s rich natural heritage. The law allows for the creation of a wildlife protection fund, which could become a vehicle for large-scale conservation finance.

Around 80% of the Leuser Ecosystem lies within Aceh. The new Act represents an important milestone in the protection of its unique and incredibly rich biodiversity. With support from LEAF, civil society groups including the Aceh Climate Change Initiative (ACCI), Forest, Nature & Environment Aceh (HAkA), Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL) and the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) helped to shepherd the bill through the legislative process and gather the necessary political support. This builds on ACCI’s long-standing role as conveners of Aceh’s Sustainable Development Caucus, a group of parliamentarians focused on environment and wildlife issues.