Save Sumatra’s Forests

Karen Lyons Kalmenson

Source: Elephant Family

Please click HERE to sign and send letter

The Sumatran elephant is on the brink of extinction. Within a single generation they have lost half of their population. Their one big glimmer of hope is Aceh Province in the northwest.

Aceh’s verdant rainforest is one of the largest in Southeast Asia, and is the only place in the world where elephants, tigers, orangutans and rhinos all still live together. Up until now it has been a beacon of hope for wildlife diversity.

But, Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry is close to accepting a proposal that would open Aceh’s pristine forest for mining, logging, and palm oil production.

This would not only be a disaster for the wildlife, but also the local people that depend on the forest. The loss of forest will push elephants into conflict with villagers and expose the area to flooding.

All hope for the Sumatran elephant could be lost if this plan goes ahead. But there is still time to stop it.

Please TAKE ACTION NOW – tell the Indonesian government to STOP THIS PLAN.

Send a letter to the Indonesian Government

Letter text

I am writing with great concern for Aceh’s forest, having heard about the proposal to pass a new spatial plan that ignores the environmental sensitivity of the Aceh landscape and would be disastrous for the Aceh community.

Your special and pristine forest is currently one of largest left in Southeast Asia. The only place in the world where elephants, tigers, orangutans and rhinos can all be found, it should be the pride of Indonesia and the world.

Aceh’s rural communities depend on this forest for their way of life, and it protects them from dangerous landslides and flooding that can – and do – wash away whole schools, rice fields and villages.

The clearance of this forest would be catastrophic for the people and wildlife of Aceh. Not only would the local communities be more exposed to natural disasters, but their lives and livelihoods would be threatened from an increase in conflict with the wildlife forced out of its natural habitat. The roads created would leave the remaining forests open to further exploitation, driving the critically endangered elephants, orangutans, rhinos and tigers to extinction.

I therefore respectfully urge that you reject the existing proposal and consider alternatives more favourable to both people and wildlife. Please protect Aceh’s forest – one of Indonesia’s greatest assets.

the orange and the grey…elephants and orangutans
You are orange
I am gray
we play together
every day
our styles may differ
you like to climb
i like the water
most of the time
we share bananas
you pull my ears
I lower my trunk
So you can hug
Without fear
The time we spend is
in friendship and glee
as we both see it
we are family.

Karen Lyons Kalmenson