What type of ecosystem is the Leuser Ecosystem?
rainforest
Cloud forest in the Leuser ecosystem. Spanning 2.6m hectares (6.4m acres), Leuser is Sumatra’s largest rainforest and a Unesco world heritage site. It’s also the only place on Earth where rhinos, tigers, elephants and orangutans coexist in the wild.
Where is the Leuser Ecosystem?
More than 2.6 million hectares of lowland rainforests, rich peat swamps, alpine meadows and montane forests make up the lush paradise known as the Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh and North Sumatra provinces in Indonesia.
What is special about Leuser Ecosystem?
The Leuser Ecosystem provides food and water for millions of people. Generations depend on this uniquely biodiverse forest ecosystem for their livelihoods and have done so for millennia as it is the customary lands for the Gayo, Alas, Kluet, Aneuk Jamee, and Karo peoples.
Why is the Leuser Ecosystem Threatened?
Threats to the Leuser Ecosystem Leuser’s jungles are being burned, leaving shrinking habitats for endangered wildlife. These forests are being burned to the ground. At that rate, the forest will be completely destroyed within two decades. The primary threat to this unique ecosystem is illegal palm oil expansion.
How much space do orangutans have to live in the Leuser Ecosystem?
Protection of large areas of primary forest below 1,500 m asl is needed to secure their long-term future. The species’ major stronghold is the Leuser Ecosystem – an area of 26,000 km² mostly contiguous forest that supports circa 95.0% of the Sumatran Orangutans remaining in the wild.
What ecosystem is Indonesia in?
Some of the ecological regions are Borneo montane rain forests, Buru rain forests, Lesser Sundas deciduous forests, New Guinea mangroves, Sumatran freshwater swamp forests, and Sumba deciduous forests….Ecological Regions Of Indonesia.
| Ecological Regions of Indonesia | Biome |
|---|---|
| Sumatran peat swamp forests | Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
Is the Leuser Ecosystem orangutan population larger because the area is bigger?
The Leuser Ecosystem’s three coastal peat swamp forests (Tripa, Kluet, and Trumon-Singkil) harbour the highest densities of orangutans anywhere in the world – as much as ten times higher than much of Borneo. As a result, one plantation was cancelled in 2013 and the area was secured as a protected peat swamp reserve.
How has habitat loss affected orangutans?
The result has been the loss of some 80 percent of the orangutans’ habitat in just the last two decades. Orangutans are also killed for the illegal wildlife trade. Poachers kill the mothers and then sell their babies as pets.
Where is the Leuser rainforest?
The Leuser Ecosystem is an area of forest located in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
What happens to orangutans during deforestation?
Deforestation is indeed the primary threat to the orangutan, a species of great ape known for its keen intelligence and the fact that it’s the largest animal to live primarily in trees. The result has been the loss of some 80 percent of the orangutans’ habitat in just the last two decades.
How are orangutans affected by climate change?
Changing temperatures and rainfall patterns as a result of climate change affect where orangutans can find the tree fruits and leaves they eat. Orangutans are also less likely to reproduce when food is scarce. Roaming into new territory in search of food can also spur human-orangutan conflict.
How do orangutans affect the ecosystem?
They play a vital role in seed dispersal and in maintaining the health of the forest ecosystem, which is important for people and a host of other animals, including tigers, Asian elephants and Sumatran rhinos. So by conserving the orangutan’s habitat, we’re also benefiting local communities and other species.