Launching and Workshop on Atlas Book “REDD and Sumatran Orangutan”

YEL and PanEco Foundation launched an Atlas about Orangutan to map the ecosystem services provided by Sumatran Orangutans preventing the expanding forest degradation. The Atlas launching is part of the collaboration of YEL, PanEco and International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). It is also part of hte United Nations Environment Programme – Great Apes Survival Partnership (UNEP-GRASP).

 

Please see press release below

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Blind Sumatran orangutan parents give birth to healthy twins at North Sumatran rescue centre.

The twins were born last Friday (January 21) at the Batu Mbelin orangutan quarantine centre near Medan in North Sumatra where both adults are in long term care, after staff lifted their normal breeding ban to improve quality of life for elderly Gober, now well over 40.

Twins are not unheard of amongst orangutans and the other great apes (chimpanzees, gorillas and bonobos) but they are certainly not common, and relatively few zoos around the world have experience of them. This birth is also particularly notable in that both parents are blind.

The mother, Gober, is an elderly female, probably well over 40 years old, who is blind in both eyes due to cataracts. Father Leuser, confiscated as an illegal pet and released fit and well into the wild in Bukit Tigapulah National Park, strayed outside park boundaries and was shot by villagers. He was found with 62 air rifle wounds with three pellets lodged in his eyes.


Every Conribution Helps!

Anyone wishing to help these orangutans, and many others in Sumatra, either others in the quarantine and reintroduction process, or those still in the wild, can do so by making a donation to the PanEco Foundation directly.


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PanEco facilitates farmers workshop in Tripa

The workshop prepares a plan and strategy on developing the farmers' respective oil palm plantation at RSPO Pilot Study in Lamie village, Nagan Raya. 35 farmers, who are all members of a local farmers' group Makmue Lestari, participated in the workshop.

 

The workshop aimed at evaluating management and maintenance of the farmers' oil palm plantations in Alue Billie, Lamie village. PanEco supports development of smallholder oil palm plantation at a Pilot Study in Lamie villlage to develop oil palm plantation based on RSPO principle and criteria.

 

During the workshop, the farmers group made plan for next step in maintaining their oil palm plantation. They also formed a working group to handle administrative process of ownership certificates of their plantations. The Pilot Study is designed to promote use of mineral soil for development of oil palm plantation. Alue Billie locates at upper part of Tripa. Lower part of Tripa is a peat swamp area which is also habitat of critically endangered Sumatran orangutan.



20'000 sustainable oil palms

PanEco and YEL developed a pilot study to promote oil palm plantation on fallow land or degraded land on the west coast of Aceh province. This pilot study aims to encourage small holders and oil palm estates to develop new oil palm plantations on fallow land and mineral soil as an alternative to clearing rainforest.
Within the framework of the pilot study, 100 hectares of fallow land will be planted in Nagan Raya district, encouraging the utilization of fallow land on mineral soil and reducing the pressure on the precious coastal peat swamp forests of Tripa.

To date, 62 local smallholder farmers participate in the programme at two locations: 52 farmers work on 79 hectares in Alue Billie, and 10 other farmers work on 20 hectares in its neighbouring village. The farmers in Alue Billie established the farmers group “Makmur Lestari” (sustainable prosperity), while their neighbours founded TIBA (Ternak Ikan, Bebek dan Ayan), the Farmers Group for Fish, Ducks, and Chicken Farming. Approximately 53 hectares have already been cleared and the remaining 25 hectares will be ready for plantation in November. On 27 hectares, seedlings have been planted. Per hectare we plant 141 seedlings, which is the optimal density for oil palm plantations. Thus around 20.000 oil palm seedlings have been planted so far. Based on biodiversity assessments, 2.79 hectares of the pilot study area in Alue Billie have been allocated as conservation area and will not be planted with oil palms.

The pilot study has been started in May 2009 and is expected to be complete in April 2011. It is part of the Biodiversity and Agricultural Commodities Program BACP and was developed to promote sustainable palm oil production by preventing the expansion of plantations into orangutan habitat, finding acceptable alternatives for palm-oil producers and helping small holders to implement Better Management Practices. Also, palm oil cultivation under our pilot study is based on RSPO Principles and Guidelines.

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Orangutan survey results

The first phase of an extensive orangutan survey in the Gunung Leuser National Park has been accomplished in May. Between 1100 and 1800 Sumatran orangutans were found to live in the eastern part of the National Park below 1500 metres asl. Dr. Serge Which from SOCP presented these preliminary results as part of a workshop organised by the Park Authority BBTNGL and UNESCO in Medan. The secons phase has already started and will last until November 2010. When the survey will be completed, Gunung Leuser will be the filrst National Park in Indonesia to posses the a comprehensive database on the orangutan.

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New information center on Sumatra

On April 23, YEL chairman dr Sofyan Tan, and the head of the North Sumatran Conservation Agency (BKSDA North Sumatra), Ir. Djati Witjaksono Hadi, signed a  contract of cooperation to establish the new Nature Conservation Information Center (abbreviated in Indonesian to PIKA) in the Sibolangit Nature Recreation Park, an former botanical garden located near to SOCP's existing orangutan quarantine centre. In partnership with BKSDA, PanEco and YEL will together renovate existing facilities, establish education displays (including some ‚living' displays), regenerate the forest plants, promote research and develop environmental education programmes to increase awareness of the rainforest, orangutans and other wild species. The new center will promote Sibolangit and conservation in the region at a local, national and international level.

TWA Sibolangit was formerly a highly regarded botanical garden, linked to the well known Kebun Raya in Bogor, Java, before it fell into disrepair. YEL and PanEco feel it would be highly desirable to attempt to regain some of Sibolangit's former glory. At the same time, it possesses enormous potential for educating local North Sumatrans.  Residents of the nearby sprawling city of Medanseldom - if ever - visit the Province's natural rainforests. This readily accessible new center will offer them the opportunity to better experience and appreciate the forest environment, and to learn more about its ecology and conservation. Its location near to the SOCP orangutan quarantine center in Batu Mbelin also  offers an excellent opportunity to inform visitors about the important work being carried out in this strictly closed  facility. 



Give rainforests a break!

Rainforests are being torn down to grow palm oil, an exellent example of which is PanEco's figth to save the Tripa forest. But while many companies such as Unilever and Kraft are making efforts to disassociate themselves from the worst practices of the palm oil industry, Swiss based Nestlé has done diddly squat. Meanwhile, the forests of Indonesia are disappearing faster than anywhere else on the planet, devastating local communities, pushing endangered species like orangutans closer to extinction and accelerating climate change.

It's time Nestlé took a break from turning a blind eye to what its palm oil suppliers are up to! Support the campaign now and write an e-mail to Nestlé CEO Paul Bulche!

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