UNESCO Visits the Tangkahan Elephant Sanctuary in Gunung Leuser Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site

On 24 May 2022, UNESCO, representatives of the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry and other key stakeholders got together in Medan, North Sumatra, to review the historical boundary of the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, a World Heritage site, to bring these up to date.

Supported by UNESCO through the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust, the meeting witnessed the formal hand-over to the Government of Indonesia of a comprehensive UNESCO analysis of the historical and current boundaries of the site.

Gunung Leuser National Park and the Biosphere Reserve - that shares its name - are part of the wider World Heritage Site of Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (TRHS). Home to flagship species such as the Sumatran orangutan and elephant, the site has significant ecotourism development potential. While TRHS has been listed as World Heritage in Danger since 2011, Tangkahan shows how encroachment and ecosystem degradation can be reversed.

In Tangkahan, UNESCO met with national park managers and ecotourism operators to discuss the challenges in conserving and protecting the site from threats such as illegal palm oil expansion. As global demand for palm oil rises, some oil palm growers have sought to expand the crop by encroaching illegally into the national park area.

In response, park managers use a persuasive approach, negotiating with palm oil owners to restore the encroached area. The Park also regularly conducts SMART Patrols, taking wildlife data, destroying wildlife snares and traps and looking for signs of illegal activities, such as poaching and encroachment.

In Tangkahan, the local community has been thriving in two ways: ecotourism activities to generate income for their community, and park management assistance in patrolling the site. The ecotourism packages in Tangkahan include viewing elephants in their natural environment, trekking in the Park and water tubing on the Batang Serangan River.

National Park data shows Tangkahan has become over the years a key tourist attraction in North Sumatra Province. Along with global tourism, Tangkahan was significantly affected by the pandemic. However, it is now slowly starting to operate again.

The Tangkahan example shows how community-based ecotourism serves as an alternative income generator for the local community, allowing them to cease illegal logging and encroachment into the Park.

In addition, there is a growing awareness from the local community in Tangkahan about the values of parks in the form of environmental services, such as the fresh and clean water stream at Buluh River and the pristine tropical forest inside the Park, an asset for ecotourism.

The Park works with local communities and local environmental champions living in Tangkahan to protect the site. The local community is an essential partner in managing protected areas, especially for national parks in Indonesia.

• Gunung Leuser Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia

© UNESCO