. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Asia and the Pacific. Indonesia Human Encroachment in Sumatra's Conservation Areas The Kerinci-Seblat National Park (Figure ) is situated along the Barisan mountain range in the southern half of Sumatra. With a total area of 14,847 sq. km it is the largest conservation area in Sumatra. The importance of Kerinci-Seblat lies in the fact that the forests protect the watersheds of two of Sumatra's most important rivers, the Musi and Batang Hari. Its strength so far has been its sheer size, but, given the current rate of deforestation, as a result o
. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests: Asia and the Pacific. Indonesia Human Encroachment in Sumatra's Conservation Areas The Kerinci-Seblat National Park (Figure ) is situated along the Barisan mountain range in the southern half of Sumatra. With a total area of 14,847 sq. km it is the largest conservation area in Sumatra. The importance of Kerinci-Seblat lies in the fact that the forests protect the watersheds of two of Sumatra's most important rivers, the Musi and Batang Hari. Its strength so far has been its sheer size, but, given the current rate of deforestation, as a result of human encroachment both from within and outside the park, it is one of the most seriously threatened parks in Indonesia. The main conservation problem is the conversion of forest to agriculture by shifting and shifted cultivators resident in the enclave, whose area is 1460 sq. km. This enclave is inhabited by a population of about 273,000 people that is growing at an annual rate of per cent. Given the richness of the volcanic soil, the principal activity of the human population in the enclave is agriculture. Paddy is cultivated extensively on the plateau and Kerinci Province is self- sufficient in rice. Recent immigrants into Kerinci have extended their activities beyond the border of the enclave well into the park. clear felling forests to cultivate paddy. When soil fertility de- creases, other cash crops such as cinnamon, cloves and coffee are grown. Large areas of forests have so far been replaced by cinnamon plantations. Misuse of land is the most serious conser- vation problem in Kerinci and already the hills that border the enclave have been completely deforested. The buffer-zone in Kerinci covers about 500 sq. km and consists of denuded hills and abandoned clearings. The most important conservation measure that needs to be adopted here is a complete ban on any further encroachment and the relocation of all illegal settlers to areas outside the park. Hand in hand wi
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