Where the Forest Breathes Again

Along the Bengkung River in the Leuser Ecosystem, a landscape once heavily affected by illegal logging, poaching and destructive fishing is beginning to tell a different story.

In 2023, Forum Konservasi Leuser (FKL) and Gunung Leuser National Park established a permanent ranger presence at Bengkung. Patrols now operate day and night, boats entering the river corridor are registered, and rangers work closely with surrounding communities to protect the forest.

At the heart of the story is Raduan Imam, FKL Security Supervisor. After joining FKL in 2017, Raduan suffered a serious accident in 2021 that kept him away from fieldwork for almost a year. His return brought him back to the forests he had spent years protecting — and eventually to Bengkung, where he and the ranger teams are helping rebuild protection from the ground up.

Their approach has not been based on enforcement alone. Dialogue and warnings have helped bring local people into the conservation effort, with some former illegal loggers and destructive fishers now working alongside conservation teams.

And the forest is responding. Tiger tracks, hornbills, sun bears and orangutans are among the signs that wildlife continues to use this river corridor.

Bengkung is a reminder that protecting a forest is rarely a single intervention. It is the patient work of building presence, trust and local stewardship — and staying long enough to give nature the opportunity to recover.