BAHASA INGGRIS 11 S2 HAL 010

Who is Rudi Putra and what recognition did he receive for his conservation work?

• destroying the Leuser Ecosystem

• director of the conservation NGO Forum Konservasi Leuser

• Rudi Putra has been working to save the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia, for the past twelve years. He received the Goldman Environmental Award in 2014 and was featured as a National Geographic Fellow in 2019 for his conservation eff orts

• save endangered Sumatran rhino

What is the Leuser Ecosystem and why is it signifi cant?

• the Leuser Ecosystem provides services such as storing 1.6 billion tons of carbon and supplying water to 4 million people. These services are estimated to be valued at over $600 million annually

• one of the last remaining intact rainforests in all of Indonesia, it is a crucial source of clean drinking water and agricultural livelihoods for over four million people

• leuser contains 50—the last viable population of this species on Earth. Just 50 years ago, this forest was home to more than 1,000 rhinos

• the Leuser Ecosystem spans 2.6 million hectares and is one of the last remaining intact rainforests in Indonesia. It is crucial for providing clean drinking water and agricultural livelihoods to over four million people

What ecosystem services does the Leuser Ecosystem provide, and what is their estimated annual value?

• the Leuser Ecosystem provides services such as storing 1.6 billion tons of carbon and supplying water to 4 million people. These services are estimated to be valued at over $600 million annually

• sumatran rhinos are one of the most endangered animals on Earth due to decades of illegal deforestation and poaching for their horns

• the Leuser Ecosystem spans 2.6 million hectares (6 million acres), almost three times the size of Yellowstone National Park. Its diverse landscape includes lowland and montane rainforests, nine rivers, three lakes, and over 185,000 hectares of carbon-rich peatlands

• the Leuser Ecosystem continues to be highly endangered by rapid logging and forest encroachment, especially by illegal palm oil plantations. Between 1985 and 2009, half of Sumatra’s forests were destroyed

Why is the conservation of the Sumatran rhino a signifi cant focus for Rudi and his team?

• Rudi has been a critical partner in fi ghting illegal logging and land encroachment in the last place on Earth where wild rhinos, elephants, tigers and orangutans still coexist

• Sumatran rhinos are shy and require dense forest with near-zero disturbance

• the Sumatran rhino is critically endangered due to illegal deforestation and poaching. Leuser contains the last viable population of this species on Earth, making its protection crucial

• Rudi and FKL were selected as partners to support the Indonesian government to save the critically endangered Sumatran rhino from extinction

What eff orts has Rudi Putra undertaken to protect the Sumatran rhino and the Leuser Ecosystem?

• one of the last remaining intact rainforests in all of Indonesia, it is a crucial source of clean drinking water and agricultural livelihoods for over four million people

• Rudi and his team have dismantled illegal palm oil plantations and established anti-poaching patrols to protect existing rhinos and lay the groundwork for their recovery across the entire Leuser Ecosystem

• between 1985 and 2009, half of Sumatra’s forests were destroyed

• including harboring 1.6 billion tons of carbon and the provision of water to 4 million people