About
Aceh Utara is home to parts of the acclaimed Gunung Leuser National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The district includes significant natural forest areas and peatlands that act as important carbon sinks. The wider Aceh Province has 55% forest cover (around 3 million hectares) and is home to highly charismatic species including Sumatran orangutans, Sumatran elephants, and rhinos.
Aceh Utara produces several important products including palm oil, natural rubber, and cocoa. Palm oil expansion poses a significant deforestation threat in the eastern region of Aceh. The Aceh Sustainable Palm Oil Roadmap - a provincial policy framework - aims to achieve a deforestation-free supply chain.
About NISCOPS
National Initiative 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 - safeguarding the integrity of the Leuser ecosystem while supporting sustainable development.
Improving land use
Aceh Utara lost 937 hectares of natural forest in 2024. Much of the deforestation is potentially linked to palm oil expansion by both concession and smallholders. Although these areas are legally permitted for development, many concessions contain High Conservation Value (HCV) areas.
The total area of oil palm plantations in Aceh Utara, both smallholder and concessions, is 43,935 hectares. NISCOPS aims to increase the productivity of oil palm plants and implement No Deforestation No Peat and 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 while promoting sustainable palm oil sourcing and improving 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 has developed a partnership with Mondelez, GAR and PT SMART Tbk in Aceh Utara (as well as Aceh Singkil, Aceh Subulussalam and Langkat) which focuses on deforestation monitoring, smallholder capacity building and market transformation. Smallholder farmers are being provided with Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) training, support with RSPO and ISPO certification and land legality. This helps to improve productivity and harvest quality, whilst cutting production costs for farmers..
Support Aceh Utara
There are a diverse range of partners - government, NGOs, the private sector and communities - engaged in sustainably developing the Aceh Utara landscape.
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.