Planting Trees at the Edge of the Leuser Ecosystem

Along the edge of the Leuser Ecosystem, where farmland meets rainforest, the Sumatran Ranger Project has been working with local communities to grow and plant thousands of trees.

The program began in 2023 with a simple goal: grow seedlings locally and provide them to communities living near the forest.

A team of local community members was employed to collect seeds from trees growing in nearby forests and villages. Those seeds were then grown and cared for in a small nursery until they reached a size where they could survive once planted out in the landscape.

Over time, the team raised more than 8,000 seedlings.

Supporting Communities and the Landscape

These trees are now being distributed to forest-edge communities and landowners. They are planted in places where additional tree cover can strengthen the landscape, including farmland boundaries, degraded land, and riverbanks where roots help stabilise soil and reduce erosion.

The program also supports local people directly.

Most of the trees are fruit species, which can provide food or supplementary income for families who grow and sell the fruit. Other species, including mahogany, offer longer-term economic value.

A Commitment to Protect Wildlife

The seedlings are provided to landowners who commit to not setting snares or harming wildlife on their land.

Snares remain one of the biggest threats to wildlife in Sumatra’s forests. By working directly with landowners at the forest edge, the program aims to reduce this risk while strengthening relationships with communities living alongside the forest.

More than 8,000 young trees have now been grown enough to withstand the wild and are being planted across the forest edge.

It’s a practical way to support communities while improving habitat around the Leuser Ecosystem, helping stabilise land, provide useful crops, and create incentives to protect wildlife.