We look at the ongoing work to restore and protect a forest that’s vital for wildlife and people.
This International Day of Forests on 21 March 2025, we head to the biodiversity powerhouse of Hutan Harapan in Indonesia, to discover how the RSPB and partners are working to restore and protect it for wildlife and local communities.
Hutan Harapan is one of the last remaining lowland rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. This nearly 100,000-hectare forest, previously designated for logging, was transformed into an ecosystem restoration area in the late 2000s. We’re working alongside Burung Indonesia and BirdLife International to restore and conserve this precious landscape.
Hutan Harapan is a biodiversity powerhouse, forming part of the Sundaland global hotspot. Over 1,300 tree species paint a lush green expanse, with some trees reaching up to 40 metres or more.
It is a place that never sleeps. At dawn and dusk, the air rings with the calls of Agile Gibbons. Long-tailed Macaques rustle through the treetops in search of food, while a buzzing cloud of bees swirls high above, seeking new nesting sites. In the day, you can hear the low groans of Sun Bears searching for honey and the deep droning sound of hornbills in flight, while at night the eerie screeches of Eastern Barn Owls fill the air.
Hutan Harapan is also a sanctuary for some of the world’s most endangered wildlife. It provides a vital refuge for Critically Endangered species such as Sumatran Tigers and Sumatran Elephants, and birds including Helmeted Hornbills and Crestless Firebacks.
Surveys have recorded 312 bird species, 126 fish species, 64 mammal species, 126 reptile and amphibian species, and 31 butterfly and dragonfly species.
Hutan Harapan offers riches beyond its wildlife. It also provides for the local people, especially the communities who live in and around it, such as the indigenous Batin Sembilan, who call Harapan home.
These communities depend on the forest for their livelihoods – tapping rubber and jelutong, harvesting damar resin, and gathering honey and fruits such as durian, stinky bean and dogfruits, for their own consumption as well as to sell to the local market
Hutan Harapan also plays a vital role in supporting life in other ways. The forest acts as a carbon sink, absorbing harmful carbon dioxide, and helping to mitigate against climate change. Locally, it contributes to climate regulation, protects against flooding by slowing the flow of rainwater over land, and helps to maintain clean water supplies.
Indonesia’s rainforests are particularly vulnerable to deforestation, with pressure coming from a variety of sources including the timber industry, oil palm plantations, the exotic animal trade, and human settlements.
In Hutan Harapan, we work with Restorasi Ekosistem Indonesia (PT REKI) to restore the native forest. Dipterocarpaceae is a family of tall trees that characterise lowland rainforests. These giants form the rainforest canopy but are under severe threat from illegal logging and deforestation. Part of the work involves searching for various species of Dipterocarpaceae, such as Resak.
Officers from the PT REKI Research and Conservation Team made an important discovery when visiting the local Kapas Tengah community as part of an educational awareness initiative.
“If you find Resak, can you please let us know?” the officer asked. To his surprise, Dartyo, a local farmer, responded, “We have Resak right here, in front of the house”.
As well of offering hope for the future of the forest, this discovery shows the importance of working with local communities.
Resak (Vatica pauciflora) is one of 36 Dipterocarpaceae species that have been recorded in Hutan Harapan – a number of which are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Part of the forest restoration work in Hutan Harapan involves the sustainable collection of seedlings of Dipterocarpaceae and other threatened native trees. These are then nurtured, cultivated and replanted in areas which have been degraded by forest fires, invasive species, and land encroachment.
This project, supported by the Franklinia Foundation, began in 2021, and has since been extended and expanded until 2027.
The involvement of the indigenous Batin Sembilan and other local communities is vital. Their deep knowledge of Harapan’s wildlife helps conservationists to locate important trees and seedlings.
We are also working with local communities to support them to plant fruit-bearing native trees that blend conservation and sustainable forest use.
Our vision for Harapan is one where biodiversity is protected and local people benefit from their proximity to the forest, in terms of livelihood, wellbeing and climate change resilience.
Through working together, we will continue to protect and restore the forest, supporting local communities and the wildlife that depends upon it.
