LEUSER NATIONAL PARK
The Gunung Leuser National Park (TNGL) is located in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, cover approxcimately 1,094,692 hectares (ha) 1 ha is about the size of football picth, and straddles the borders of the two provinces of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra . the TNGL takes it name from the towering Mount Leuser, whose peak stretches to 3,404m. The park was originally established as a 142,800 ha Indonesia Nature Reserve in 1934 and after a series of additions and classification change was formally established as National park in 1980.
Together with Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci Seblat National Park, the GLNP form the Tripical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra UNESCO World Heritage Site. The World Heritage status was inscribed in 2004, along with the previously attributed statusof being recognized as a Biosphere Reserve in 1981 and ASEAN Heritage Park in 1984. Here exists complex, amazingly species rich and fragile environment, with a delicatly balanced network of animal and plant life. The GLNP is he core of many endangered species’ remaining habitat. The area is considered to be of huge enviromental impotantce, and the unique flora and founa are in critical ned conservation and protection. The GLNP is also part of one of the WWF’s 200 Gobal Ecoregion of conservation importantce fo world biodiversity.
The Gunung Leusr National Park lies within the 2,364,874 ha Leuser ecosystem. This region was established after comprehensive reasearch conducted in the 1980s and 90s, which showed that the boders of the national park were insufficient to maintain the reguirements of the rich biodiversity present in northern Sumatra. Thus in 1995 the Leuser ecosystem was legally recognized through a Ministry of Forestry Decree (No.227/KPTS-II/1995) and also a presidential Decree in 1998 (No.33/1998) it was established as a National strategic area by Goverment regulation (No.26/2008).
