Sundaland

The Sundaland Hotspot in Southeast Asia is home to a number of unique species, including the endangered orangutans of Sumatra and Bornea, the clouded leopard, and two species of rhinoceros.

The hotspot's island of Sumatra harbors more than 10,000 plant species, mostly in lowland forests. It is the only place where elephants, rhinoceros, tigers, clouded leopards, and orangutans co-exist. Sixteen of the 210 mammal species are unique to the island, including the Sumatran orangutan, Sumatran rhinoceros, and Sumatran tiger.

Threats
Indonesia is at the epicenter of the global deforestation crisis. Indonesia lost some 20 million hectares of forest from approximately 1985 to 1997. Since then, experts believe another 5 million hectares or more may have been lost, with rampant illegal logging occurring even in protected areas.

Other threats include oil palm plantations, illegal hunting and wildlife trade, road construction, mining, and civil conflict.

Strategy
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) focuses on Sumatra, as the biologically richest and most threatened area. CEPF targets four geographic areas: Seulawah-Leuser-Angkola; Siberut Island; Tesso Nilo-Bukit Tigapuluh; and Bukit Barisan Seletan.

CEPF focuses primarily on enabling key actors at local levels to practice good forest stewardship with adequate skills, coordination, collaboration, incentives, and political voice. In Sumatra, CEPF supports projects at the district level and below, with the aim of building alliances among conservation-minded individuals, nongovernmental organizations, and private sector interests.

Four strategic directions guide CEPF's approach in Sumatra:

  1. enhance stewardship of forest resources at district level and below
  2. empower civil society to organize in favor of conserving biodiversity
  3. build alliances among conservation-minded groups in civil society and the private sector
  4. assess impact of conservation interventions at district level and below

Sundaland

Investment Priorities
Full Strategy
Project Database for this Region