At 6.5 million acres, the Leuser Ecosystem is a world unto itself—a rich and verdant landscape on the island of Sumatra of intact tropical lowland rainforests, cloud draped mountains and steamy peatlands swamps. It is among the most biodiverse and ancient ecosystems ever documented by science, and it is the last place where Sumatran orangutans, elephants, tigers, rhinos and sun bears still roam side by side.
But the Leuser Ecosystem exists at a tenuous crossroads. Despite being protected under Indonesian national law, massive industrial development for palm oil, pulp and paper plantations and mining threaten the entire ecosystem, as well as the continued wellbeing of the millions of Acehnese people who depend on it for their food, water and livelihoods.
Join Rainforest Action Network’s Gemma Tillack and Chelsea Matthews and a special guest from the Leuser Ecosystem, as they discuss the threats to this incredible ecosystem and the solutions needed to ensure its survival.
Where: Rainforest Action Network, 425 Bush St, Suite 300, San Francisco, CA 94108
When: Wed, Apr 1. Doors open at 6:00pm, talk begins at 7:00pm