PRIORITY LANDSCAPE

Yayasan Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa operates in two main ecological landscapes located in the northern part of Sumatra Island: the Pakpak Ecological Landscape and the Batang Toru Ecological Landscape.

Pakpak Ecological Landscape

Batang Toru Ecological Landscape

The Batang Toru Ecological Landscape is one of the tropical rainforest landscapes in North Sumatra Province. Administratively, it spans four regencies/cities: North Tapanuli Regency, Central Tapanuli Regency, South Tapanuli Regency, and Sibolga City, covering an area of more than 240,000 hectares, most of which consists of forest areas.

Based on Regional Regulation No. 2 of 2017 on the Spatial Plan of North Sumatra Province (2017–2037), particularly Article 49 paragraph 2, the Batang Toru forest area has been designated as one of the province’s strategic areas due to its environmental functions and ecological carrying capacity.

The forest within the Batang Toru Ecological Landscape represents a microcosm of Indonesia’s forest biodiversity and serves as an important habitat for protected wildlife, including the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), hornbills, and many other species.

In addition, the forest in this landscape functions as a critical water source for more than 1.5 million people, many of whom rely on agriculture and plantation crops as their main livelihoods.

The Pakpak Ecological Landscape is one of the tropical rainforest landscapes located in the northern part of Sumatra Island. This landscape spans two provinces: Aceh and North Sumatra. Administratively, most of the Pakpak Ecological Landscape within North Sumatra lies in Pakpak Bharat, Dairi, and Humbang Hasundutan Regencies, while a smaller portion is located in Aceh Province, specifically in Aceh Singkil Regency and Subulussalam City.

The Pakpak Ecological Landscape covers an area of more than 150,000 hectares. It holds very high biodiversity and is considered a Key Biodiversity Area. This landscape serves as a habitat for various protected flora and fauna, including the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Sumatran serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus), sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), as well as plant species such as hoting (Quercus sp.), medang (Palaquium sp.), sampinur (Podocarpus spp.), damar (Agathis spp.), benzoin (Styrax sp.), and many others.