SUMECO’s Entity: Ecotourism and Conservation in Bukit lawang, North Sumatra.
Bukit Lawang is one of Sumatra’s top tourist destinations. The Leuser ecosystem region, where Sumatran rhino, Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephant, and Sumatran orangutan share the same area, is also regarded as one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world. Unfortunately, many mass tourism activities incorporate unsustainable practices that cause harm to the Leuser biodiversity and ecosystem services now; the trend is expected to continue in the coming decades, worsening existing impacts.
Tourism, when handled appropriately, has the potential to be an opportunity for the socio-ecological systems on which it depends. Organizations, places, and tourists must become more committed and conscious of their influence and responsible for it. We all play a vital part in ensuring that tourism delivers on its promise of improving people’s livelihoods by protecting the environment on which they rely. Unfortunately, many tourist destinations with rich biodiversity hotspots confront numerous human resource issues.
Bukit Lawang Ecotourism has to be initiated in a way that respects the resources of protected areas and the prosperity of locals. That’s why it is focused on developing sustainable tourism models by providing both indirect and direct positive impacts on conservation within and around parks, increasing their role in supporting the sustainable development of the destination. To fulfill proper ecotourism conditions, conservation efforts must be involved for the long term to preserve the ecosystem, which becomes the object that the local community uses in tourism.
Bukit Lawang Ecotourism has continually financed SUMECO’s wildlife conservation efforts in Bukit Lawang since 2014.
Bukit Lawang Ecotourism was established in 2014 and has become SUMECO media wing to promote tourism in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, through social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Its main objectives are to empower the local community in Bukit Lawang through sharing knowledge, conservation efforts, and creating an environmental background for the community. Referring to the definition of ecotourism, which is defined as environmentally friendly tourism activities, it is encouraged to produce tourism activities related to nature conservation as well.
We serve responsible biodiversity exploration through jungle treks, study trips, herping, and many more activities in Bukit Lawang. We expect this effort to provide positive impacts on the environment. Promoting responsible tourism has been our priority, especially since we are a conservation-based ecotourism business in Bukit Lawang through our central focus to fund SUMECO (Sumatra Ecoproject). Visiting Bukit Lawang through responsible tourism is a must, and avoiding getting too close to the animals will be one good example. While dealing with the animals, Bukit Lawang Ecotourism will always be following safety procedures and proper tourism ethics inside and outside Gunung Leuser National Park.
The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been classified as a zoonotic disease. No one can stop the next pandemic, but at least we know how to behave when we are engaged in wildlife sightseeing tours; a serious responsibility is mandatory.
Our Jungle Tours to Spot Wildlife in Sumatra
As a conservation organization, all our jungle tours are designed and conducted following the regulations and are always strongly related to the conservation efforts in Gunung Leuser National Park.
Besides jungle trekking to see Sumatran orangutans, we also offer nocturnal hikes, herping, wild Sumatran elephant watching in Halaban Ecotourism, and transport services from the airport to all tourist destinations in Sumatra.
Jungle Tours to See Wild Sumatran Orangutan
Getting to know and observe the Sumatran orangutan in their natural habitats will be your new experience. Most Sumatran orangutans in Bukit Lawang might be semi-wild, but looking for the wild ones will be something interesting.
Find out about our jungle trekking packages to see Sumatran orangutans in Bukit Lawang, inside Gunung Leuser National Park.
Jungle Tours to See Wild Sumatran Elephant
It’s a new ecotourism village, where Leuser is surrounded by deforestation and palm oil plantations, and a few groups of wild Sumatran elephants are found within their fixed movement area close to the village. It’s named Halaban Ecotourism, the best place to watch wild Sumatran elephants.
Implementing local community-based ecotourism to provide protection to the Leuser and its biodiversity.
Herping Tours and Nocturnal Hike
Sumatra, especially the ecosystem of Gunung Leuser National Park, is dominated by nocturnal species. To be able to see the truth of Leuser’s biodiversity, we encourage our guests to take a walk in the dark.
It’s important to get more knowledge than land and arboreal mammals, who are diurnal, because those diurnal animals play an important role in maintaining the ecosystem as well.
Birdwatching (Birding) in Bukit Lawang’s Leuser and Mangrove Forests
Get to know and observe the birds of Sumatra in their natural habitats. Our birdwatching / birding tours will be your new experience to learn better Sumatran bird species through a conservation perspective.
Find out about our birdwatching / birding packages in Bukit Lawang’s Leuser and our Mangrove Ecotourism in the coastal area of Langkat, North Sumatra.
SUMECO (Sumatra Ecoproject) and Bukit Lawang Ecotourism
The term “ecotourism” is frequently used by various parties, but when we look at its meaning, we must admit that it is not something that is common or easy to understand. We are continuing to try; at least hundreds of animals have been rescued thanks to our company revenues from our wildlife conservation mission in SUMECO (Sumatra Ecoproject) in response to high demand for what ecotourism itself requires.
Since 2014, we have spent time learning more about how ecotourism may be implemented in Bukit Lawang, which led us to build our conservation-based ecotourism through SUMECO (Sumatra Ecoproject). We have been trying our best to save animals around Gunung Leuser National Park as long as we can do, as far as we can go.
Large sums of company profits have been distributed to fund SUMECO (Sumatra Ecoproject) wildlife conservation missions (animal rescue). That’s the reason why Bukit Lawang Ecotourism, as the main funder of SUMECO through its own media in promoting tourism, has been respectfully placed in the SUMECO domain. This all-encompassing concept was born in 2009; Bukit Lawang Ecotourism was founded in 2012; and SUMECO (Sumatra Ecoproject) was founded in 2014, all by Bobi Handoko. It takes more than 10 years for me to create a strong concept between conservation and ecotourism in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Wildlife Conservation and Ecotourism in Bukit Lawang
SUMECO was officially created in 2014 after years of working quietly to address environmental concerns and conserve endangered creatures. Starting with the ecotourism business in Bukit Lawang, I, Bobi Handoko, the proprietor of “Bukit Lawang Ecotourism,” have agreed to share the company’s income to fund and administer the SUMECO wildlife rescue project. The establishment of SUMECO in North Sumatra province was entirely my idea; it is intended to be an environmental organization that fights for animals on the front lines in Bukit Lawang.
SUMECO and Gunung Leuser National Park
Despite many limits, SUMECO has made a commitment to cooperate with the authority of Gunung Leuser National Park in safeguarding the Leuser and its biodiversity. Running an ecotourism business at the border of Leuser has encouraged us to protect our animals. As an Indonesian, I had a good understanding of how most non-governmental organizations operate. SUMECO is not like most non-governmental organizations; it was founded not to collect money, but to use our private firm profits wisely.
Jungle Trekking, Herping, and Conservation
In addition to utilizing the earnings from our ecotourism company located in Bukit Lawang, our conservation efforts in jungle trekking and herping activities include developing communication and networking tactics to disseminate information regarding the illegal possession of endangered or protected species.
Social media plays a crucial function in disseminating information and educating the public in today’s era of modernity. SUMECO is committed to supporting the government’s efforts to protect the Gunung Leuser National Park and its diverse range of species within the limits of its financial resources.
We have designated jungle trekking and herping as our ecotourism activities, earning a reasonable profit for the services we provide through empowering local communities for the sake of conservation and livelihoods.
Halaban Ecotourism – Wild Sumatran Elephant
Halaban Ecotourism is a new tourist destination. Halaban’s sustainable ecotourism development method in the initial stages, in 2023, still relies on ecotourism activities to see wild elephants that have fixed movement areas. As it’s known, this implementation was initialized in Tenggulun, Aceh Tamiang, in March 2023, when, during the process of tourism development, we often accidentally discovered many illegal logging activities carried out by local communities that had become our future challenge to its development.
Our continuous efforts for sustainable development of Halaban ecotourism have never shifted away from ecotourism elements based on conservation and empowerment of local communities, which in the future are expected to be able to increase the protection capacity of Gunung Leuser National Park, carried out by authorities together with the surrounding community.
The application of economic value through conservation-based ecotourism activities in Halaban is expected to have positive impacts on public awareness of environmental sustainability in the surrounding areas, especially for the biodiversity of Gunung Leuser National Park. Ecotourism in Halaban has a significant part in ‘creating economic benefits’ since it creates jobs in remote places that have not been touched by the government.
Engaging in our Halaban Ecotourism program will foster trust within the local community by demonstrating that conserving Leuser’s biodiversity through ecotourism can enhance local societal well-being.
Biodiversity, Ecotourism, Conservation, and Livelihoods
Conservation of natural resources, ecotourism, and local livelihoods are among the most discussed topics on a global scale. It is considered nature-based tourism that focuses on the conservation of biodiversity and the development of livelihoods.
The outcomes of the preponderance of research conducted in developing countries indicate that many nations continue to face challenges in effectively managing their resources. The primary issue lies in the inadequate human resources available for management and oversight.
In addition to generating revenue for nature preserves and national parks that support conservation efforts, unnecessary human trafficking in protected zones harms and disrupts local wildlife. Ecotourism has the potential to determine the survival or extinction of certain species.
Therefore, understanding and knowledge are the main requirements in choosing a tour operator for your ecotourism activities.
Bukit Lawang Ecotourism, a SUMECO business entity offering jungle tours while prioritizing quality.
- Special tours to look for and photograph specific species.
- Herping.
- Bird watching.
- Biodiversity exploration.
- Orangutan and elephant treks.
- Study expedition.
- Research.
- Joint-group jungle trek.
- Long-trip jungle trek (7–10 days).
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ETHICAL JUNGLE TREKKING & ORANGUTAN CONSERVATION
Conservation and ethical jungle trekking go hand in hand at Bukit Lawang. In addition to supporting local populations that rely on sustainable tourism, ethical jungle trekking contributes to the preservation of wildlife habitats and the rainforest. By selecting ethical excursions, tourists may respectfully and ecologically enjoy the jungle’s natural beauty while also supporting conservation efforts. By promoting safe viewing distances, lessening the influence of humans on animals, and assisting in the long-term preservation of rainforests for future generations, ethical trekking also contributes to the protection of wildlife.
Ethical jungle trekking and orangutan conservation are closely connected because responsible tourism can help protect both the rainforest and the wildlife living in it. Orangutans possess a unique connection with humans due to our numerous similarities. 97% of this primate’s DNA is identical to that of humans. In addition to genetic connections, orangutans display both social and solitary behaviors, and their social structures have become an existence of apes’ lifestyles through their long evolutionary and adaptation processes. When we talk about a genetic similarity of 97 percent, then we have to be able to understand the zoonotic potential that exists. So being knowledgeable, responsible, and ethical is extremely important to any decision-making in tourism activities such as jungle trekking in Bukit Lawang, specifically inside Gunung Leuser National Park.
