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

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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 ‘d omestication’ (Mogea et al. 1991). At the interface of local livelihoods and biodiversity, we studied the options for ‘intensification’ and ‘domestication’.

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