Most Endangered Great Ape Under Serious New Threat

Oct. 2002

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Some of the world’s most critically endangered species, including the Sumatran orangutan, elephant, tiger, and rhinoceros are facing a serious and desperate new threat to their survival due to a government plan to build several major new roads that will drastically fragment a crucial part of their current range.

Viable alternatives to the plan remain, but the local government of the province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD), is likely to continue with its intention to construct these roads, and further destroy and fragment large, and in some cases critical parts, of the habitat of these species. Furthermore, they will irreparably damage the life support systems of the local human communities.

The proposed roads will divide up what is known as the Leuser Ecosystem, a unique conservation area that is the only place in the world where the above species can still be found living side by side. It is also the only area where the Sumatran orangutan still occurs in anything even approaching viable numbers. This species is well recognised as the great ape that is likely to become extinct in the wild first, probably within the next 5 to 10 years, if not sooner. The proposed roads are so located that they will cut in half most of the few remaining viable populations of one of man’s closest living relatives and therefore directly be responsible for its ultimate demise. They will also drastically impact the catchment areas of several extremely important rivers in the region, resulting in further depletion of natural water supplies to villages and towns and increased erosion, flooding and other natural disasters.

The primary function of the roads would be to connect the eastern and western coastal areas of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. There can be no doubt that severe deforestation will take place along these roads as a result, stretching deeper into the surrounding forests. This has so often been the case with similar developments in Indonesia in the past and there are innumerable examples to verify this. Unfortunately, and ironically, the resultant long term physical damage and financial costs tend to far outweigh any economic benefits derived from the projects themselves.

The plan will also violate several Indonesian regulations such as Act No 5/1994, ratifying the International Convention on Biodiversity, and Act No 5/1990 on the Conservation of Natural Resources and their Ecosystem, but despite this, it seems that the only hope to prevent the go ahead lies with huge and sustained international pressure.

We therefore implore the International community to take up the challenge. As a first step we urge anyone and everyone to take a few moments of their time to write to the Governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and the Minister of Settlement and Infrastructure. Letters and faxes should request that the current plan be halted immediately and alternative solutions examined for linking up the communities in east and west Aceh that do not have such a huge impact on the environment, and the numerous critically endangered species and embattled local communities that it supports.