Leuser Blessings for Buffer Villages

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

A view of the Leuser forest in Gayo Lues regency, Aceh, on Saturday (10/3). Ecotourism in the Leuser forest area is the main source of income for some villages in the regencies of Gayo Lues and Southeast Aceh. The number of foreign tourists increased in the past few years.

The tropical forest in Leuser is a blessing for the residents of surrounding villages. Aside from cultivating fertile farmland, the residents have also developed village tourism by offering homestays and guiding trekking, rafting and wildlife watching tours.

Buffer villages around the Leuser ecosystem enjoy blessings from Indonesia’s largest tropical forest. With clean air, fertile land and water springs, the forest’s buffer villages have also become a destination for many tourists.

One of these is Ketambe village in Ketambe district, Southeast Aceh, Aceh province. “Welcome to the tourist village” is written on the gates of the village, which borders Mount Leuser National Park (TNGL).

Aside from Ketambe are Penosan Sepakat village in Blangjerango district and Agusen village in Putri Beutong district. The two villages in Gayo Lues are buffer zones for Leuser as well as tourist villages.

Since the 1970s, Ketambe has been known as a nature tourism village. There is the world’s first Sumatran orangutan research center, built by Dutch researcher Herman D Rijksen. Many students from home and abroad conduct their research there. In 2017, actor Leonardo DiCaprio visited the research center.

Ketambe is a favorite destination for foreign tourists who want to enjoy a natural forest or observe wild animals. Many tourists visit the area, typically from May through August, with around 1,000 tourists visiting Ketambe every year.

The village is beautiful. The road climbs up and down through the forest. The air is clean and cool. The sound of water splashing in the Alas River brings nature close. The Alas River is known as the best location for rafting.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Two men plant a tree at the Mount Leuser National Park (TNGL) in Alur Baning village, Babur Rahmah district, Southeast Aceh regency, Aceh, on Sunday (11/3). Some parts of the national park that were damaged by encroachment are being reforested with the help of farmers, the government and nongovernmental organizations.

Business activities

Tourism has brought many blessings to Ketambe. The local economy has grown through tourism activities, such as offering homestays, working as tour guides and selling rafting adventure packages.

There are seven homestays in Ketambe that charge Rp 100,000-Rp 150,000 per night. The tourism in Ketambe is managed by the villagers, who also cultivate plantations as their main sources of income.

Teuku Yaknana Johan, the owner of the Wisma Cinta Alam homestay in Ketambe, said he could support his family and send his two children to university with the income he made from the homestay.

Wisma Cinta Alam opened in 1986, several years after the inauguration of Mount Leuser National Park. Teuku said in 1987-1989, many foreign tourists visited Ketambe to see the orangutans. Recognizing the opportunity, his parents developed the homestay.

“[The business] collapsed. I rebuilt the homestay in 2007 only after seeing the tourism potential,” said Teuku.

Teuku entered the tourism business when he was 15 years old, working as a rafting guide, which he continues today. He also guides tourists to watch wild animals in the forest, such as orangutans and siamangs.

Leuser is the largest tropical forest in Indonesia. Aside from storing carbon to support human life, Leuser is the natural habitat of various animals such as orangutans, elephants, tigers, rhinoceroses and various bird species. Leuser is also home to a number of plantations.

Residents of Penosan Sepakat village in Gayo Lues regency also enjoy the benefits of having Leuser on their doorstep. Southeast Aceh and Gayo Lues are two neighboring regencies at the heart of the Leuser forest. Foreign tourists often visit Penosan Sepakat, a gateway for climbing the peak of Mt Leuser.

Rajali Jemali, who owns the Rainforest Lodge homestay in Kedah hamlet, Penosan Sepakat village, said he also sold Mt Leuser trekking packages. Tourists usually contacted Rajali a week before their arrival.

Several young men in Penosan Sepakat work as trekking guides to Mt Leuser, making Rp 150,000 per day. The trek to Mt Leuser requires at least 10 days. “Currently, there are 20 guides. I set the schedule so all of them have the opportunity. They make additional incomes from tourism activities,” said Rajali.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

A Sumatran orangutan is seen at the Mount Leuser National Park in Ketambe village, Ketambe district, Southeast Aceh regency, Aceh. Ecotourism in the Leuser forest area is the main source of income for some villages in the regencies of Gayo Lues and Southeast Aceh. The number of foreign tourists increased in the past few years.

Not maximal

Rahmat, 24, a Penosan Sepakat villager, cultivates a plantation while also working as a tour guide. The graduate of a private Jakarta university is more interested in working as a trekking guide. “The number of visitors remains low. However, if it was promoted more, I believe more visitors would come here,” said Rahmat.

Tourist activities in Ketambe and Penosan Sepakat are not managed optimally, with minimal infrastructure and lacking promotion. Limited human resources means the area’s tourism is managed as it runs. Promotional efforts do not use digital technology such as social media and websites. “The government’s involvement is still low, whereas the tourism potential is very promising,” said Rajali.

Gayo Lues Tourism Office head Syafruddin said the office could not promote the Leuser ecotourism because of budgetary constraints. So far, the only promotions are made through the Gayo Lues administration’s official website. The regency administration, Syafruddin said, encouraged the residents to manage tourism locally to benefit directly from tourists. “Gayo Lues tourism has great potential. Yet, the tourism sector still contributes very little to the regional income,” he added.

The minimal number of tourists was due to the lack of transportation, Syafruddin said. Gayo Lues Airport can only accommodate small planes that carry 11 passengers. By land, it would take much longer to reach Leuser, requiring at least eight hours from Rembele Airport in Bener Meriah regency and 10 hours from the North Sumatra capital of Medan.

Southeast Aceh Regent Raidin Pinim acknowledged that tourism was not being managed maximally. However, the local administration was making efforts to develop Leuser tourism, one of which was to hold an annual national rafting competition.

It appears that the annual competition is not known nationwide. It would be better if the regency administration tried other strategies to invite more visitors.