National park to open in N. Sumatra

MEDAN, North Sumatra: North Sumatra Governor Tengku Rizal Nurdin said on Friday that his administration would declare Batang Gadis forest a national park next month.

Tengku said President Megawati Soekarnoputri and international communities lauded the plan to declare the 108,000-hectare park in Mandailing Natal regency.

"International response to it is positive. I conveyed the plan during a recent meeting in Bali, and I will go next month to Washington to discuss the potentials of the Batang Gadis forest," he added.

The forest is home to a variety of rare species like the Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran rhino, Sumatran elephant and monkeys, said officials.

Tengku said the protected forest would also serve as an absorption area to supply water for local people.

It also contains a potential gold reserve, which has been confirmed by a mining firm, he added.

The governor did not identify the firm, but environmental activists said the mining firm was PT Newmont Horas Nauli (NHN), based in the United States. -- JP