To enhance its international presence, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), through its Faculty of Forestry, conducted an International Partnership Community Service program in the buffer zone of Gunung Leuser National Park (TNGL), located in Pamah Semelir, Langkat Regency. This initiative involved several universities from Malaysia, including Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and Universiti Malaya (UM), as well as Universitas Labuhanbatu, aiming to foster collaboration with nearby higher education institutions. 

The international community service project partnered with the bamboo conservation community in the TNGL buffer zone, organized under the Bambu Lestari Community (KBL), led by Purnama Ginting, a prominent local figure in Telagah Village, Sei Bingei District, Langkat Regency. The International Community Service team included faculty members from USU’s Graduate School, Faculty of Forestry, and Faculty of Agriculture: Prof. Rahmawaty, Prof. Abdul Rauf, Prof. Agus Purwoko, Dr. T. Alief At Thoriq, and Ridahati Rambey, M.Si. International partner faculty members included Prof. M. Nazip Suratman, Prof. Seca Gandaseca, Dr. Muhammad Fuad Abdullah from UiTM, and Prof. Muhammad Hasmadi Ismail from UPM Malaysia. Universitas Labuhanbatu was represented by Fitra Syawal Harahap, M.Agr.

Professor Rahmawaty, the program coordinator, explained, “This program is funded by the Community Service Institute (LPPM) of Universitas Sumatera Utara. Through this initiative, USU aims to actively contribute to conserving natural resources and the environment while establishing strategic partnerships with national and international universities.”

Professor Rahmawaty, who also serves as the Head of the Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at USU’s Graduate School, elaborated that the activities, held in late June 2024, were aimed at strengthening local community-based institutions to empower them to develop sustainable and economically beneficial natural resource management programs. In addition to planting various bamboo species on critical lands in the area, USU also assisted in reviving ecotourism facilities based on bamboo ecosystem utilization, which had weakened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USU team also facilitated the community members' skills development in crafting bamboo into various high-economic-value products that could be marketed as commodities supporting the region's revitalizing nature tourism sector. These bamboo products, such as miniature ships, decorations, ashtrays, and other crafts, were highly regarded for their aesthetic value, increasing their marketability. The ecotourism activities and products generated by the community have become key commodities supporting the development of the tourism sector, which is experiencing a resurgence in the area.