Indonesia: More than 3,000 hectares of forests damaged in Aceh

Antara 24 Jul 18;

Banda Aceh, Aceh, (ANTARA News) - More than 3,000 hectares of forests in the Leuser Ecosystem Area of Aceh have been damaged in the first six months of the year, the Aceh Foundation of Natural Forests and Environment (HAKA) said.

"From January to June 2018 we found 3,290 hectares of forests in the Leuser Ecosystem Area in Aceh were damaged," HAKA Manager of Geographic Information System (GIS) Agung Dwinurcahya said here on Tuesday.

The Leuser Ecosystem Area forest serves as a buffer area for the National Park of Mount Leuser (TNGL). The ecosystem forest is 2.6 million hectares in size and 2.25 million hectares of which are in the province of Aceh spread in 13 districts.

As a buffer zone for TNGL, the Leuser Ecosystem Area consists of protected forest, production forest and forests for other appropriation such as for plantations .

The extent of the damage was slightly smaller than 3,780 hectares in the same period last year, Agung said.

He said, the damage to the Leuser Ecosystem Area was based on satellite record monitored regularly.

The district of Nagan raya recorded the largest area of Leuser Ecosystem damaged in the first six months of this year reaching 627 hectares, followed by the district of Aceh Timur with 559 hectares and the district of Gayo Lues with 507 hectares of Leuser ecosystem forest damaged, he said without saying the causes of the damage.

"The largest part of damage to the Leuser ecosystem area was recorded by the district of Nagan Raya in its peat forest in Rawa Tripa, which was previously protected habitat for orangutan," he said. (SYS/AS).

(T.SYS/B/H-ASG/C/F001) 24-07-2018 09:54:40
Editor: Fardah Assegaf