There is not much lowland forest left in Sumatra, as much has been cleared for large-scale plantations or has had its timber removed, leaving behind vast barren areas which need to be restored to function as forests again.

One of such forest encompasses Batanghari and Sarolangun regencies in Jambi province and Musi Banyuasin regency in South Sumatra.

The Birdlife Consortium -- a grouping comprising Birdlife International, Burung Indonesia and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds -- has embarked on a mission to restore the ecosystems of Sumatra's lowland rainforest.

The restoration work will be conducted by PT Restorasi Ekosistem Indonesia (REKI), and is not for commercial purposes.

"We have pinned our hopes on the forests," Burung Indonesia managing director Agus Budi Utomo says.

The remaining forested area has been called Rainforest Hope. The area is classified as a production forest and encompasses two provinces, spanning some 101,000 hectares, 42,000 ha of which is in Jambi and the rest is in South Sumatra.

In 2007, the Forestry Ministry issued a timber forest exploitation license to REKI with a concession period of 100 years.

The ministry has also provided management rights to 52,000 ha of the total of 101,000 area, while the rest has yet to be arranged.

The area was previously managed by PT Asialog, but after the company's production permit expired, the consortium in 2004 came up with the idea to restore the area.

As much as 30 percent of the total forested area is still in a good condition, while another 30 percent is slightly damaged and the remaining 40 percent is severely damaged.

"The damaged areas must be restored," Konservasi Ekosistem Hutan Indonesia (KEHI) chairman Yusuf Cahyadin said recently, adding that logging would no longer be allowed in the remaining areas, and that damaged areas would be reforested in stages.

As many as 285 bird species are found in Rainforest Hope, 70 of which are threatened with extinction. It is also home to 58 types of mammal including the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and elephant (Elephas maximus), as well as 43 species of amphibian.

The area contains at least 159 tree species, such as the rare and protected bulian (Eusideroxylon zwageri).

Aside its diverse flora and fauna, the lowland forest is also inhabited by isolated tribes, including the Bathin Sembilan and Anak Dalam, who depend on the forest for survival.

"The restoration program will save these isolated tribes," Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban said recently.

During a recent visit to Indonesia, Britain's Prince Charles paid a special visit to Bungku village in the Bajubang district, Jambi, on Nov. 2.

As chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Charles was looking forward to observing the restoration work firsthand. He even took the opportunity to plant a bulian sapling as a symbol of his support.

This marked a starting point for the restoration of Sumatra's forests, on which many hopes have been pinned.

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