"For almost a hundred years the people of Aceh have fought for the conservation of this great wilderness and I am proud to carry on this tradition and to have at my service a team of professionals managing this priceless area"

The Government of Aceh is fully aware of the importance of protecting the provinceʼs natural environment. Since becoming Governor I have declared a moratorium on the logging of our priceless and biologically diverse forests, I have promoted a policy called Aceh Green which espouses a balanced approach to development and makes conservation a key component of this process. One of the first acts I undertook after taking office was to establish a new team to manage the Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh. This vast area of rainforest - some 2.3 million hectares in extent - is considered to be perhaps the last area left which sustains viable populations of the megafauna that was once spread throughout Southeast Asia. It is only here that we find the orangutan, rhino, tiger and elephant all living together.

For almost a hundred years the people of Aceh have fought for the conservation of this great wilderness and I am proud to carry on this tradition and to have at my service a team of professionals managing this priceless area. The team collectively make up a body which is known by its acronym BPKEL. This body has a vital role to play in organising the protection, rehabilitation, and sustainable utilisation of the Leuser
Ecosystem. I urge all parties - businesses, civil society groups, donors, individuals etc - to coordinate closely with this body before taking any initiatives, so as to ensure harmonisation of efforts with the overall stategies set by BPKEL for the future of this natural treasure.

Signed
Governor Irwandi Yusuf
June 2009