The formerly pristine swamp forest at Suaq, in Gunung Leuser National
Park near the west coast of Sumatra, southwest of Kutacane, is now
being logged intensively. This is the site discovered by primate
scientist Carel van Schaik in the early 90s that has twice the
orangutan population density of any other known place and where
orangutans were discovered to be regular tool users. I am not aware
of any comprehensive bird studies yet, but reports indicate that it
may be one of the richest lowland sites in Sumatra.
The situation is so grim that one of van Schaik's students has posted
a web page calling out for help. About one-fourth of the orangutan
study area already has been cleared.
I have posted a page on my Worldtwitch site that pulls together known
links about Suaq. If you go to the main Worldtwitch page, the Suaq
page is accessible from the second dropdown menu at the top.
Please send me any further information about Suaq, any additional
links, and your comments and suggestions.
John Wall
New York
Worldtwitch: http://geocities.com/rainforest/vines/9684/
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