Aceh Subulussalam is a gateway to the renowned Gunung Leuser National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city includes important natural forest areas and peatlands that act as important carbon sinks. The wider Aceh Province, which has 55% forest cover (around 3 million hectares), is home to charismatic species including Sumatran orangutans, Sumatran elephants, and rhinos.   

Aceh Subulussalam makes a significant contribution to Indonesia’s palm oil production with oil palm plantations covering an area of 22,221 hectares. Palm oil expansion poses a significant deforestation threat in the wider Aceh Province. The Aceh Sustainable Palm Oil Roadmap, a provincial policy framework, aims to achieve a deforestation-free supply chain.  

About NISCOPS 

National Initiatives for Sustainable and Climate Smart Oil Palm Smallholders (NISCOPS) - a partnership between IDH and Solidaridad - brings together key stakeholders to improve land use, create better incomes for smallholders and promote inclusive markets.

In Indonesia the program aims to create deforestation-free and inclusive palm oil supply chains. 

Improving land use

Aceh Subulassalem lost 1.40kha of forest in 2024, equivalent to 1.07Mt of CO2 emissions. Much of the deforestation is linked to the expansion of palm oil plantations near the Leuser ecosystem. Although these sites are legally permitted for development, many concessions contain High Conservation Value (HCV) areas. 

NISCOPS aims to increase the productivity of oil palm plants and implement No Deforestation No Peat No Exploitation (NDPE) principles in the supply chain. The program is also developing a buffer zone management model for the Leuser ecosystem. This will ensure forest protection and regeneration, promote sustainable palm oil sourcing and improve community livelihoods. 

Creating better incomes and inclusive markets

NISCOPS aims to integrate smallholders into a deforestation-free sustainable palm oil supply chain, whilst bridging the gap towards a living income.  IDH is partnering with Mondelez, Golden Agri Resources (GAR) and PT SMART Tbk in Aceh Subulussalam (as well as Aceh Utara, Aceh Singkil and  Langkat) to focus on deforestation monitoring, smallholder capacity building and market transformation. Smallholder farmers are being given Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) training, support with RSPO and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification and land legality. This helps to boost productivity and harvest quality and cut production costs for farmers.  

Support Aceh Subulussalam

There are a range of partners - government, NGOS, the private sector and communities - engaged in sustainably developing Aceh Subulussalam. 

There are many opportunities to support this incredible landscape. Please click the 'Contact the Initiative' button on the left hand of this page to get in touch.