Erik Meijaard: A Sumatran Wonderland

The forest was not like any other I had visited. Relatively short, thin, mossy trees, with many conifer-type species, an uncommon feature in tropical rainforests. And it was quiet and cool, unlike the oppressive hot humidity and constant buzzing and chirping normally encountered in these environments. I was back in Batang Toru, for the first time in 18 years.

In 1997 I had been asked to survey the forests south of Lake Toba in Sumatra. Common knowledge was that the Toba region divided Sumatra into two bioregions. To the north, species like Orangutans and White-handed Gibbons occur, while south of Toba you get the Tapir and Bearded Pig. Why these forest species don’t occur across the entire island is unclear. Something unusual apparently happened around Toba that ensured that species lived either north or south but not both.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/erik-meijaard-sumatran-wonderland/