Frontier Sumatra features a diverse cast of scientists, conservationists and rangers who are working together to protect one of the largest remaining peat forests in the region. Come behind the scenes and meet three of the rangers who appear in the film.
Hendrizal
Hendrizal’s love for animals saw him give up his job as a security guard to join RER as a ranger in 2014. He grew up in Pelalawan Regency, close to what is now RER, when awareness of sustainability was low. Like many at the time, his father cut down and sold illegal logs in order to provide for his family. As part of RER Hendrizal gets the chance to make up for that mistake – not just by protecting the forest from encroachment, but by working with local communities to teach them more sustainable ways to earn a living from the land.
Why did you want to become a ranger?
I am proud to be a ranger, because I’m passionate about protecting nature and animals. Another reason is that I learned from the mistakes made by my father, who logged the forest in the past. I want to pay for that mistake, making sure each one of the trees are protected and grow as strong as they can.
How did it feel to be in the documentary?
I am so excited and happy to be involved in the film, because I hope it can raise the awareness of the audience to care about the forest environment and its fauna.
What do you hope people will learn from watching it?
I hope that all viewers can learn that protecting the forest is not just an individual or a ranger’s job, but all living things in the world, especially humans.
Wahyudi
Wahyudi is a lead ranger in RER, which means he works in the forest for 20 days before taking 10 days off each month. Of RER’s 60 rangers, 34 work on the mainland in the Kampar Peninsula, while the other 26 work on the nearby Padang Island.
What’s it like to spend 20 days at a time in the forest?
I am grateful to be able to work with RER, and also to help protect the forest. But there are times when working in remote areas makes me sad and miss my family and all I want is to get a day off soon. However once I meet my family I already wanted to go back to the forest to meet and work with other rangers in RER.
How did it feel to be in the documentary?
Happy, excited and curious for the audience’s reaction! I’m proud to be able to work with all the teams that were involved in making the film, especially RER as well as the film crew. Thank you for the opportunity for me and my team on this film documentary.
What do you hope people will learn from watching it?
I hope the audience is happy and can learn something from this film. Hopefully we can increase people’s concern for preserving forests, as well as prayers for Indonesia’s tropical forests.
Roki Anggara
Roki comes from the nearby Pulau Muda village, and joined RER five years ago from the local fire department. Roki is responsible for replanting seedlings in particularly degraded areas. The team gathers seeds from the forest, grows them in nurseries, then transfers them back to the forest in areas that are too damaged to recover naturally.
How does the local community benefit from your work?
Restoration activities aim to restore forests degraded as a result of illegal logging activities and forest fires, with the restoration of degraded forests being able to create a good environment for the surrounding community.
How did it feel to be in the documentary?
I am happy because I can be involved in this Frontier Sumatra documentary and can share the experience of protecting the forest with others.
What do you hope people will learn from watching it?
I hope that after watching this film, it can provide new experiences and knowledge to many people on the importance of protecting the forest, including the flora and fauna. Protecting the forest is not only the responsibility of a few parties but of all human beings.