Leuser residents asked to conserve their park

JAKARTA (JP): Residents of Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the most famous parks in the world, are being asked to take the initiative and actively help conserve the two-million hectare nature reserve.

President Soeharto said yesterday the park could not be protected without the residents being involved.

Rampant timber theft is one of the biggest problems facing the park.

The chairman of the International Leuser Foundation, Bustanil Arifin, met with Soeharto at Merdeka Palace yesterday to brief him on the foundation's activities.

"The President expects our foundation to lead the campaign to preserve Gunung Leuser Park by involving local people," Bustanil said.

Established in 1980, the park runs along the border between the Aceh and North Sumatra provinces.

It is home to some of Indonesia's most fascinating wildlife, including 520 species of birds, numerous primates, 194 species of reptiles and 62 kinds of amphibians.

Bahorok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center is located within the park.

Since it was set up by the World Wildlife Fund and Frankfurt Zoological Society in 1972, the rehabilitation center has accepted more than 200 orangutans from people who had been keeping them as pets.

"The Leuser ecosystem has been classified as the third largest ecosystem after Mann in Brazil and Congo in Congo," said Bustanil who is a former cabinet minister.

A.R. Ramly, another foundation executive, said the foundation was considering eco-tourism as a means of preserving the park's natural resources and generating income.

"A feasibility study on developing eco-tourism there is still underway," he said. (prb)