The Hidden Wealth of Sumatra’s Plant Biodiversity
Forest loss is not only a driver of long-term disaster risk; it is also a powerful accelerator of biodiversity extinction. Indonesia is globally recognized as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, home to thousands of plants, animal, fungal, and microbial species—many of which remain undiscovered. Habitat destruction caused by deforestation directly reduces population sizes, fragments ecosystems, and ultimately pushes species closer to extinction. Once lost, this biological wealth cannot be recovered. Sumatra alone is estimated to host at least 10,000 plant species, with many of them endemic. In Centres of Plant Diversity (1995), Davis identified six major plant diversity centers on the island: Leuser National Park, limestone ecosystems, Bukit Barisan Selatan, Bukit Tiga Puluh Mountains, Berbak Game Reserve, and Kerinci Seblat National Park. Yet, decades of forest loss have placed these centers under severe threat.
