The Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra: Natural Beauty of Southeast Asia

Sumatra is the largest island entirely in Indonesia and the sixth-largest island in the world. A place of extraordinary beauty, its tropical forests are among the richest and most diverse on the planet, boasting some 218 rare species of vascular plants found in the Tesso Nilo landscape, including Amorphophallus titanium, the tallest flower in the world. Located on the spine of the Bukit Barisan Mountains, known as the Andes of Sumatra, the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra is a 2.5-million-hectare site consisting of three national parks: Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park, and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. Gunung Leuser National Park covers 7,927 square kilometers in northern Sumatra. The park is classified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as part of the 200 Global Ecoregions of importance for preservation of the planet’s biodiversity. Gunung Leuser National Park also houses the orangutan sanctuary of Bukit Lawang, the largest animal sanctuary of Sumatran orangutans. The largest national park in Sumatra, Indonesia, is the Kerinci Seblat National Park, covering a total area of 13,750 square kilometers that include the West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Bengkulu, and Jambi provinces. Home to a diversity of fauna and flora, Kerinci Seblat National Park has more than 4,000 plant species and is also host to the enormous Rafflesia arnoldii. At the southern tip of Sumatra lies Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. The World Wildlife Fund has ranked the area as one of the planet’s most biologically exceptional habitats, and it is one of the most important forest area for tiger conservation in the world. We thank the noble governments, organizations, and rangers working diligently to protect the wondrous Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra and its precious inhabitants. How blessed are we to be able to enjoy the vivacious beauty of Mother Nature, uplifting our spirits and reminding us how important it is to respect, preserve, and cherish this natural environment for the wellbeing of the exquisite wildlife as well as humanity.