AP: In Indonesia, women ranger teams go on patrol to slow deforestation
https://apnews.com/article/aceh-indonesia-deforestation-forestry-women-rangers-83edf59f3914a512aa5031829d290d98
In Indonesia, women ranger teams go on patrol to slow deforestation
BY VICTORIA MILKO AND DITA ALANGKARA
Updated 9:05 PM EDT, June 3, 2024
DAMARAN BARU, Indonesia (AP) In a lush jungle at the foothills of a volcano in Indonesias Aceh province, the song of gibbons in the trees mixes with the laughter of the seven forest rangers trekking below them. An hour into their patrol, the rangers spot another mammal in the forest with them.
Where are you going? What are you doing? they pleasantly ask a man walking past, farming tools in hand. Remember to not cut down trees wherever you go, OK?
The friendly engagement is just one tactic the women-led forest ranger group has been using to safeguard the forest their village relies on from deforestation and poaching. After years of patrols have accompanied a sharp decrease in deforestation, the rangers are now sharing their strategies with other women-led groups striving to protect their forests across Indonesia.
A vast tropical archipelago stretching across the equator, Indonesia is home to the worlds third-largest rainforest, with a variety of endangered wildlife and plants, including orangutans, elephants and giant forest flowers. Some live nowhere else.