Sugarpalm (Arenga pinnata) Agroforests as Source of Livelihoods for Farmers and Orangutan (Pongo abellii) in Batang Toru Forest Block, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Aren (Arenga pinnata) contributes significantly to the livelihood of many farm families in the Batang Toru area (North Sumatra). An important ‘non-timber forest product’, the cultivation of Aren is based on natural regeneration, with secure tree ownership and controlled harvesting. In many parts of Indonesia Aren is in a similar low level of ‘ omestication’ (Mogea et al. 1991). At the interface of local livelihoods and biodiversity, we studied the options for ‘intensification’ and ‘domestication’.