Celebrate World Rainforest Day with a virtual trip to Hutan Harapan

World Rainforest Day is celebrated on 22 June every year, marking an opportunity to celebrate these precious habitats. Senior Species Recovery Officer Mary Davies recounts her visit to the Hutan Harapan rainforest in Indonesia. Here we are working with BirdLife International, Burung Indonesia and other local partners to restore and protect one of Sumatra’s last lowland rainforests.  

In February 2025, I joined my RSPB colleague Olivia Rondonuwu and staff from PT Restorasi Ekosistem Indonesia (PT REKI) on a short expedition into the heart of Hutan Harapan, an area of tropical rainforest on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The purpose of this trip was to carry out activities relating to a forest planting and restoration project, as well as undertaking surveys and setting up camera traps, important components of the bird and mammal monitoring scheme for the landscape.  

It’s a well-known fact that it rains in the rainforest. And even when it stops raining, it is still raining under the canopy and the streams can swell to make travelling and accessibility a real challenge. Our visit took place during a period of rain which was evident from the moment I arrived at Harapan Base Camp.  

The roads and tracks turn to mud and in some cases can become completely flooded so the only option in some cases is to travel on foot or by motorbike. Getting to Kapas Tengah in the middle of the forest in order to carry out monitoring activities took longer than expected but through sweat and determination (and a few inventive motorcycle repair solutions) the team made it happen. 

The thing about the forest is that you often don’t actually see a lot but there are many other ways of knowing what, or rather who, is around.  

The one notable exception to this was the Rhinoceros Hornbill who gave us a fantastic feeding display, presumably of insects, at the top of a dead tree. But otherwise, we also listen for sounds and look for signs.  

Having data about the rainforest creates the backbone for conservation action, but tackling the threats and trying to aid restoration is the vital next step. PT REKI are in the second phase of a forest restoration project with the Franklinia Foundation to restore areas of degraded forest by propagation and planting key tree species.  

The goal over the next three years is to collect and plant 20,000 seedlings into areas affected by fire and invasive species. During the expedition we visited the nurseries, saw some recently planted areas, and even got to plant some trees ourselves, a tiny gesture but a huge privilege to experience. Involving the people that actually live in the forest in these activities is of course crucial, and community engagement is a core principle of the project. 

The ‘Save the Rainforest’ movement in the 1990s was everywhere, and, growing up as a teenager at that time, this had an impactful and lasting impression on me that has never gone away. Tropical rainforests remain one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world and are special and hugely important for many reasons, but they are sadly under as much threat as they were 30 years ago.  

With oil palm and timber plantations surrounding Hutan Harapan, this ecosystem restoration area of lowland rainforest really is a jewel in the heart of Sumatra, and one for which a wide range of biodiversity is vitally important. Pressures and threats are significant but there is hope. The PT REKI team are working hard together to secure a bright future for this special place and needless to say it was a huge privilege to join these extraordinary people trying to achieve extraordinary things to save this rainforest.