Saving the Last
Lowland Forests
The Leuser Ecosystem in northern Sumatra is one of the last places on Earth where the great mammals of Asia still live side by side. Within these forests live the last Sumatran tigers, elephants, rhinos, and orangutans. Each is critically endangered, surviving in scattered remnants of forest that continue to disappear year after year.
What makes the Leuser so rare is not only its beauty but its completeness. It still contains remnants of every part of the ancient tropical world, from high mountain ridges to lowland rainforests and peat swamps.
In these habitats live more than 174 species of mammals, 450 birds, 191 reptiles, 52 amphibians, and thousands of plants found nowhere else. Protecting this ecosystem is one of the most urgent conservation challenges of our time. Without it, the last wild tigers, elephants, rhinos, and orangutans of Sumatra will disappear forever.
In 2018, Saving Nature launched an initiative to build a wildlife corridor in the Leuser Ecosystem to combat the loss of habitat, reestablish elephant migration routes, and build a buffer against poachers.
Our long-term goal is to connect a 5,500-ha area recently designated by the government as an elephant conservation area with nearly 300,000 ha of protected forest (production forest, protection forest and national park). Our approach combines forested elephant routes, increased monitoring to impede poaching, and meaningful protections that preserve important forests from exploitation.
Sumatra Elephant Corridor Goal
Corridor Goal
3,773 acres
Total Cost
$1,500,000
Funds Raised to Date
$1,260,000
Support Needed
$240,000
THE SUMATRA CORRIDOR
24,000
Species Protected
3,130
Acres Restored
2,100,000
Native Trees
12,500
Tons CO2 removed per year
Saving Nature, in partnership with Forum Konservasi Leuser (FKL), is leading an ambitious conservation project to establish a critical elephant corridor in the northeast Leuser Ecosystem in Serbajadi District, Aceh Timur Regency, Aceh Province. This project focuses on protecting and restoring one of the last large blocks of lowland tropical rainforest in Sumatra, an ecosystem that supports an extraordinary range of wildlife found nowhere else on Earth.
The corridor connects two major forest blocks that are essential to the survival of the Critically Endangered Sumatran elephant and many other species, including the Sumatran tiger, rhino, orangutan, hornbill, and pangolin. By reforesting degraded lands and securing key parcels that link these forests, the project is rebuilding natural pathways that allow wildlife to move freely, find food, and reproduce safely.
Maintaining connectivity is vital to prevent isolated wildlife populations from becoming genetically trapped and vulnerable to extinction. The corridor will help reduce human-wildlife conflict by guiding elephants away from farmland and back into protected areas. It will also strengthen the ecological resilience of the Leuser Ecosystem, one of the most biodiverse and carbon-rich rainforests in the world.
To achieve this, Saving Nature and FKL are restoring degraded pastureland through natural regeneration, and working with local communities to promote forest stewardship and sustainable livelihoods. These efforts create a living barrier against encroachment while providing income opportunities that support conservation goals.
The Sumatran Elephant Corridor Project represents a major step toward securing the future of Sumatra’s wildlife and protecting the ecological balance of the Leuser landscape. As the forests recover, they will once again provide safe passage for elephants and countless other species, ensuring that Sumatra’s extraordinary biodiversity endures for generations to come.
Saving Sumatra’s Critically Endangered Wildlife from Extinction
Sumatra’s extraordinary wildlife — including Sumatran rhinos, tigers, elephants, pangolins, helmeted hornbills, and orangutans — are all listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Their populations are collapsing due to poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and the loss of habitat from deforestation and agricultural expansion.
As these animals disappear from other forests across Asia, the Leuser Ecosystem in northern Sumatra has become one of their last refuges. Even here, danger is closing in. International poachers are entering the few remaining strongholds in search of tusks, horns, feathers, and scales for the Chinese black market and other illegal trades.
Poaching across Sumatra is rising at an alarming rate. Hunters from Central Sumatra and nearby countries are targeting elephants, rhinos, tigers, hornbills, pangolins, and wild birds, pushing each species closer to extinction. Demand for wildlife parts used in traditional medicine, decorative arts, and cultural rituals continues to drive this destruction.
The Leuser Ecosystem remains one of the last places where hope still exists. Restoring and reconnecting the forests between the two largest protected areas can change the outcome. Replanting failed farms and abandoned plantations helps close off access into untouched areas, protecting wildlife and restoring natural balance.
Time is critical. Every acre of forest lost makes it easier for poachers to reach these vulnerable animals. Already wiped out in other parts of Indonesia, the last remaining Sumatran rhinos, tigers, elephants, and other species now face the same fate unless we act. Protecting and restoring the Leuser forests is our best chance to save them.
Our corridor reforestation project with FKL has already achieved several milestones. We completed the initial land acquisition to secure the anchor points of the corridor, thus protecting the forest from further destruction. Following our initial purchase of 39 hectares (96 acres) in 2018, the corridor has expanded to 1,478 hectares (3,651 acres).
We have planned out our next phases of land acquisitions, which will be implemented as funding for the project allows. We estimate the costs to complete the corridor at $240,000.
In 2018, we began the work of monitoring movement through the corridor. We have a network of 10 camera traps installed at key points throughout the corridor to track wildlife movement. Our camera traps are monitoring the area on a 24/7 basis, recording both photos and videos. We have recorded over 2,000 images and 230 videos, documenting 16 species moving through the corridor, including elephants, macaques, hornbills, and Asian golden cats. Unfortunately, we have also recorded poachers moving through the forest, collecting birds for the pet trade.
Furthermore, regeneration of habitat is an important measure of project success. In addition, we continue to monitor habitat restoration progress with an annual drone survey to evaluate progress in establishing a continuous canopy. This data will be the foundation for modeling forest regeneration in tropical landscapes to determine the pace of forest recovery.
Perhaps the best narrative for why Sumatra matters is our camera trap videos. They animate our work better than anything else. Importantly, they demonstrate both the progress and the importance of saving the wildlife here.
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