Aceh has 85 mineral and coal mining permits covering 155,307.5 hectares across 12 districts and cities; 56 permits are for exploration and 29 for production. Aceh Jaya has the largest permitted area. Provincial officials say applications undergo electronic processing and document checks, with local and technical recommendations required, and cite Aceh's special autonomy as a basis for its permitting authority. Walhi Aceh warns that mining expansion could damage forests, water sources, rivers, farmland and local livelihoods, while economic gains may not reach nearby communities. It calls on provincial and central authorities to openly review all permits, assess ecological and social impacts and company restoration obligations, and refrain from issuing new permits that threaten forests and communities.

A survey by the Aceh Environmental Studies Group recorded 31 bird species in Beutong Ateuh forest, including four endangered, three vulnerable and four near-threatened species. The forest provides habitat for endemic birds and other wildlife, and forms an ecological corridor connecting the Leuser Ecosystem and Ulu Masen forests. Residents rely on farms, forests and the Meureubo River but describe a longstanding ethic of protecting nature and avoiding harm to wildlife, including Sumatran tigers. Separate surveys in the Terangun–Beutong area recorded five wild cat species, including Sumatran tigers, and found ample prey. The findings underscore the importance of conserving the forest and maintaining coexistence between residents and wildlife.

Conservation groups and government agencies report no signs of Sumatran rhino poaching in the Leuser Ecosystem since 2008, supported by ranger patrols, security posts, camera monitoring, and habitat restoration. However, habitat degradation remains a serious threat: forest loss in the ecosystem rose to 28,012 hectares in 2025, nearly five times the 2024 figure. Encroachment, illegal logging and mining, fires, human-wildlife conflict, and forest fragmentation threaten the small, scattered rhino population. Officials emphasize protecting isolated animals, including through the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in East Aceh.

Five infant orangutans found in Odisha, India, on September 8 may have been trafficked from Indonesia through Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Indonesian conservationists believe they may have originated in Aceh, while initial government observations point to Sumatran orangutans; DNA testing could establish their origin more definitively. The animals are being cared for at Nandankanan Zoological Park as Indian and Indonesian authorities coordinate an investigation and possible return. Conservationists warn that differing legal systems and past bureaucratic obstacles could delay repatriation, and urge investigators to target trafficking networks rather than focus only on rescue. The case highlights risks to already critically endangered orangutan species, whose populations are declining because of habitat loss, killing and slow reproduction.

A newly adopted 2026–2036 conservation strategy estimates Sumatra has 1,365–1,719 wild elephants, compared with 2,800–4,800 in the 1980s and 1,087–1,606 in 2019. It identifies 21 population landscapes, while noting that only 23.2% of the elephants’ estimated 5.43 million hectares of habitat lies in conservation forests. The plan calls for conflict mitigation, habitat and population recovery, ex-situ management, and sustained policy and funding, and is intended to implement a 2026 presidential instruction that includes halting new permits for certain activities in elephant habitat. Aceh is a key stronghold, with an estimated 510–608 elephants in 2025, but human-elephant conflict and elephant deaths remain serious concerns. Experts stress that success depends on coordinated action across government and communities, protecting habitat corridors, and integrating conservation into development decisions.

The discovery of five orangutan babies in India has renewed concern about an international wildlife-trafficking route that may carry protected animals from Aceh by sea to Thailand, then overland through Myanmar and Bangladesh. Experts say the babies may be Sumatran orangutans, but DNA testing is needed to confirm their species and origins. Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry says it will investigate the entire trafficking chain with Indian authorities and other institutions, and repatriate the animals if their Indonesian origin is confirmed. Conservationists stress that orangutans this young depend heavily on their mothers; if orphaned, rehabilitation may take seven to ten years before they can return to the wild.

Five orangutan infants were found in Odisha, India, a country without wild orangutan populations, and transferred to Nandankanan Zoological Park. Odisha authorities have asked the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to trace their origins and determine whether India was the intended destination or a transit point. Indonesian conservationists say the case may reflect a cross-border trafficking chain, potentially involving Aceh or North Sumatra, Thailand, and India, but stress that the infants’ origin has not been established. They call for morphological, health, and genetic examinations alongside investigation of the full criminal network. The report notes earlier seizures in India and the vulnerability of orangutan populations, and describes difficulties Indonesia has faced in repatriating confiscated animals.

Illegal gold mining continues in forests across Aceh despite a government and law-enforcement pledge to halt operations by August 17, 2026. Residents report that excavators, fuel and mining supplies are still reaching sites. Walhi estimates that illegal mining damaged 23,433 hectares of forest between 2023 and 2025, including protected areas, and says more than 1,000 pieces of heavy equipment are operating across over 450 sites. Officials and environmental advocates warn of pollution, workplace risks, lost public revenue and threats to wildlife habitats. Walhi is calling for equipment seizures, prosecution of financiers, cuts to fuel and mercury supplies, and ecosystem restoration.

Aceh’s regional leadership forum ordered illegal gold mining to stop by August 17, 2026, and prohibited unlicensed mercury and cyanide use, citing environmental and public-safety risks. Yet residents report that mining continues in Nagan Raya, Aceh Selatan, and Pidie. WALHI Aceh estimates that illegal mining damaged 23,433 hectares of land between 2023 and 2025, including extensive forest and watershed areas, and generates Rp350–360 billion in illicit funds annually. The group says enforcement must go beyond proclamations: seize heavy equipment, pursue financiers and trading networks, disrupt fuel and chemical supplies, and restore damaged forests and rivers.

Illegal gold mining damaged about 14 hectares of Indonesia’s Jantho Nature Reserve between 2023 and May 2026, threatening a forest where nearly 200 rescued Sumatran orangutans have been released. Walhi’s satellite analysis and local reports indicate mining has expanded as gold prices surged. Residents say polluted water is affecting drinking supplies, fishing and irrigation; 13 villages have united against mining and reported it to authorities. A joint inspection found no heavy machinery in the reserve, but officials dismantled a mining encampment and say patrols will be strengthened. The damage threatens a key refuge for a critically endangered species whose slow reproduction makes recovery difficult, even as a recent birth offers hope for a self-sustaining population.