Forestry Ministry prioritises Sumatra forest conservation in Leverage Project

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) is prioritising the conservation of Sumatran forests within the ‘Law Enforcement for Sustainable Viable Ecosystems and Biodiversity Resilience through Multi-Sector Engagement’ project, also known as Leverage, in collaboration with the UNDP.

“We are developing three key elements: vulnerability maps, disturbance maps, and management maps. This is what we must develop within forest governance—specifically, the extent to which an area holds high conservation value, particularly in Sumatra,” said the Director General of Forest Law Enforcement (Gakkum) at the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Dwi added that, in the context of funding for the Leverage Project, the government is focusing on priority scales involving high conservation value and high vulnerability levels. Following the Sumatra region, the Leverage Project will continue to expand to other areas that have received priority forest conservation status through various cooperation schemes.

“The selection of Sumatra also considers the disturbance map. When we discuss various incidents occurring, many are located in Sumatra. This is also a major concern for us,” he said.

Dwi further noted that within the Leverage Project, the management map is also a key focus, serving as the basis for determining how the government and relevant parties address incidents of hunting, wildlife killing, and other activities involving protected wildlife.

“We will evaluate all of these to see the patterns of management, as the modus operandi continues to evolve. We are attempting to examine this deeply from various aspects to implement prevention and protection measures so that we can be more protective and adequate,” he explained.

The Leverage Project will run for six years with a value of 14.4 million USD. Sumatra serves as the pilot site or project footprint because the government and relevant stakeholders wish to observe the implementation, the lessons learned, and how it can be replicated.

“Therefore, the lessons learned will come from the site in Sumatra, but the implementation and management will not be limited to there; they can also be applied to other regions. Other locations remain our targets alongside various partners. We continue to discuss and execute these activities,” said Dwi.