The Ulu Masen Landscape in Aceh is one of Sumatra's last great forest strongholds and harbours several globally threatened songbirds, including the Aceh Bulbul, Straw-headed Bulbul, Sumatran Laughingthrush, Sumatran Leafbird, White-rumped Shama, and Helmeted Hornbill. Many of these species are declining rapidly due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade, while information on their distribution and population status remains scarce. Without reliable data and stronger community engagement, conservation actions cannot be effectively targeted.

KSLH-Aceh aims to address this challenge by combining scientific innovation with community-based conservation. The project will use Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs) to conduct long-term bioacoustic monitoring in the forests of Mane, Pidie Regency, generating the first comprehensive acoustic baseline for these priority species. At the same time, local youth will be recruited and trained as Community Rangers to participate in biodiversity monitoring, protect key habitats, raise conservation awareness, and support birdwatching tourism. By creating local conservation leaders and demonstrating that living birds provide greater ecological and economic value than the illegal wildlife trade, the project seeks to transform conservation into a sustainable community asset.