Conserving priority habitats in the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Sumatra

Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park encompasses the largest contiguous lowland rainforest in Sumatra and a rich biodiversity – including endangered species such as the Sumatran elephant, and Sumatran tiger. UNESCO classified the protected area as endangered due to increasing settlement, planned road construction, and poaching. In the short term, measures were urgently needed to preserve the forest as a carbon sink and as a habitat for endangered species. Based on Indonesia’s international obligations under the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity), the project contributed to the preservation of a 100,000-hectare protection zone. Innovative management concepts were applied together with the local population to curb illegal land grabbing and poaching. The project also made its experience available to other endangered protected areas.