National park to open in N. Sumatra

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