Endangered habitats of the Leuser ecosystem

The forests of the Leuser Ecosystem in Indonesia are alive with some of the most abundant and diverse plant and animal life known to science; a species diversity that includes at least 105 mammals, 382 birds, 95 reptiles and amphibians and over 8,500 plants.

Millions of people in Aceh and North Sumatra depend on the clean flowing rivers of the Leuser Ecosystem. Besides fresh drinking water, these rivers provide the irrigation essential for subsistence rice farming, a critical source of livelihood in the region. But corruption and a drive for short term corporate profits threaten to upset this centuries old balance.