🌲The Leusar Ecosystem🌳

The Leuser Ecosystem

The Leusar Ecosystem is over 6.5 million acres of forest that spread over Sumatra, which is one of Indonesia's islands. More precisely, it is located in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra. While its size is approximately three times the size of Yellowstone National Park in the United States, it is one of the most majestic area of forest in South-East Asia.

This unique ecosystem is the only one place in the world where Sumatran Orangutans, Rhinos, Asian Elephants as well as Tigers co-exist together in the wild, which is one of the reasons it is such a significant place in the world. It is also home to one hundred and five mammal species, three hundred and eighty two bird species and ninety five reptile and amphibian species. Another cause is that the forest provides clean water for drinking, fishing and agriculture like growing rice for the people of Aceh.

However, the Leusar Ecosystem also helps the world globally. Their swamps which cover an area of one hundred and sixty thousand hectares, constantly absorbing carbon dioxide that makes its way into the atmosphere, leading to the fact that they are helping climate change. The forest also acts like a sponge for rainfall, which would help avoid flash floods, soil erosion and landslides. If it wasn't there, the rain would bring mud and debris into the water systems and flood villages, which are just a few of the many effects that would take action without the Leusar Ecosystem.

Unfortunately, the Leusar Ecosystem is under threat by deforestation, making many animals lose their habitats and human-tiger conflicts. Another problem is climate change, that not only affects the Leusar Ecosystems, but thousands of more places around the world. Some other problems are oil-palm plantations as well as mining from nearby villagers.