We know that sometimes we can throw around a lot of technical terms, but we don’t want that to limit anyone’s understanding of the work we do! If you find yourself confused by a word we used, take a look at the list below for an explanation.
Any organism that can cause damage to crops. In the case of animal pests, they are sometimes killed in retaliation for the damage caused.
The list from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that includes species threatened with extinction due, at least in part, to trade. Trade of these species or their parts is prohibited for all states that are Party to the Convention.
Living primarily in the trees.
A 496 hectare pre-release island for orangutans undergoing rehabilitation in the Salat Island Cluster in Pulang Pisau, Central Kalimantan. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
A 104 hectare sanctuary island for unreleasable orangutans in the Salat Island Cluster in Pulang Pisau, Central Kalimantan. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
A 35 hectare pre-release island for orangutans undergoing rehabilitation on the Rungan River, Central Kalimantan. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
All variety of life found either in a specific ecosystem or on Earth.
Fuel made from any living matter; example sources include wood, corn, and palm oil.
The third largest island in the world (74,330,000 hectares); split between the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei; and the only place in the world with wild Bornean orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and maroon langurs.
A national park that spans from Central to West Kalimantan. The BOS Foundation started using it as a release site for rehabilitated orangutans in 2016 and currently operates two monitoring camps there, Camp Hiran and Camp Bemban. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
A protection forest in Central Kalimantan that covers parts of both the Muller and Schwaner mountain ranges. The BOS Foundation started using it as a release site for rehabilitated orangutans in 2012 and currently operates one monitoring camp there, Camp Totat Jalu. Read more about it on our Where We Work page .
Meat that is the result of hunting wild animals. Dependent on the location and species, it is frequently unsustainable and poses the risk of introducing new infectious diseases to humans.
The camp for the north Kehje Sewen Post-Release Monitoring team. The camp serves as both a research station and a home for the team, as they work, eat, sleep, and live there full time.
The camp for the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya Post-Release Monitoring team in the Bemban watershed. The camp serves as both a research station and a home for the team, as they work, eat, sleep, and live there full time.
The camp for the south Kehje Sewen Post-Release Monitoring team. The camp serves as both a research station and a home for the team, as they work, eat, sleep, and live there full time.
The camp for the Bukit Batikap Post-Release Monitoring team. The camp serves as both a research station and a home for the team, as they work, eat, sleep, and live there full time.
A chemical element and the main component of all life on Earth, but in the context of the environment, it refers to the carbon-based greenhouse gases which contribute significantly to global climate change.
Also referred to as ORDS (Orangutan Respiratory Disease Syndrome), chronic respiratory diseases for orangutans are typically characterised by symptoms that are not only persistent, but likely to reoccur throughout the lifetime of the individual. There is a great deal that is still unknown about this syndrome, but it is believed to potentially have a genetic component.
The shifting in average conditions over time, for example weather patterns and temperature. Today climate change is exacerbated by human activities and contributes to more extreme changes including sea level rise, extreme weather, and the melting of glaciers.
An area of land, in Indonesia, where the government issues a permit to a company for use for a specific purpose. There are numerous concession types, but examples include mining concessions, oil palm concessions, selective logging concessions, and ecosystem restoration concessions.
An international agreement which regulates the international trade of wildlife and their products, so that it does not endanger the survival of any species. At present, 183 sovereign states are Party to the Convention.
The most severe category for a living, wild species on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. It indicates either
(1) a reduction in population size of 80% or more over a 10 year or 3 generation period,
(2) an area of occurrence that is less than 100 km2 and is continuing to decrease, fragment, or fluctuate and/or an area of occupancy that is less than 10 km2 and is continuing to decrease, fragment, or fluctuate,
(3) a population of fewer than 250 mature individuals that is also undergoing continuing decline, extreme fluctuations, or is comprised of fragmented or disproportionate subpopulations,
(4) a population of fewer than 50 mature individuals, or
(5) a quantitative analysis predicting a 50% or higher chance of extinction in the wild within the next 10 years or 3 generations.
All criteria indicate an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. The next categorisation is «Extinct in the Wild». This is a simplification of a very complicated categorisation process. You can find further information (here).
The most widespread, native group of people in Borneo. The Dayak people include hundreds of subgroups, many of which have unique language, laws, and culture. Due to these variations, it is challenging to generalise attributes to all Dayak people, and it is instead necessary to distinguish and maintain cultural identities at the tribal level.
The act of clearing a forested area for the purposes of production or another non-forest use.
The abbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA is the molecule that carries hereditary material for all life on Earth. This genetic code dictates the range for all physical traits in an individual and is passed from parent to offspring.
The community comprised of all living organisms and their physical environment, which all are interrelated through the flow of energy and nutrients. Due to these interdependencies, removal of one or more components can lead to disruption or, in the worst case, collapse.
A license given by the Indonesian government to a company for the management of land for the purposes of restoring and preserving its ecological functions. The initial license lasts for 60 years with the option for a potential 30 year extension.
The term that includes the many ways in which the natural world benefits humankind; examples include natural resources such as food and timber, environmental cycles producing clean air and water, and cultural importance.
A category on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species indicates a very high risk of extinction in the wild. It indicates either
(1) a reduction in population size of 50% or more over a 10 year or 3 generation period,
(2) an area of occurrence that is less than 5,000 km2 and is continuing to decrease, fragment, or fluctuate and/or an area of occupancy that is less than 500 km2 and is continuing to decrease, fragment, or fluctuate,
(3) a population of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals that is also undergoing continuing decline, extreme fluctuations, or is comprised of fragmented or disproportionate subpopulations,
(4) a population of fewer than 250 mature individuals, or
(5) a quantitative analysis predicting a 20% or higher chance of extinction in the wild within the next 20 years or 5 generations.
The next categorisation is «Critically Endangered». This is a simplification of a very complicated categorisation process. You can find further information (here).
A species that is native only to one specific region and is therefore found naturally no where else in the world.
Any environmental stimuli that helps to meet the physical and psychological needs of an animal. Examples include equipment that encourages animals to move or puzzles that challenge problem-solving skills. At BOS Foundation centres, enrichment is designed specifically to encourage wild behaviours to help prepare orangutans for potential release back into a forest. For unreleaseable animals, enrichment is still given to keep quality of life high.
A chemical that helps to stabilise the suspension of one liquid in another, specifically a fat within water.
Translated directly from latin to mean ‘off-site,’ ex-situ conservation includes all activities that work to preserve a species outside of its natural habitat, such as captive breeding and gene banking.
When every member of a species is dead, both in the wild and in captivity.
A sexually mature male orangutan who has already developed his secondary sex characteristics, including flanges, otherwise known as cheek pads.
All animals in a given area.
All plants in a given area.
A species whose survival is dependent on the presence of their habitat, unfragmented and undegraded. For species such as these, population decline can be a direct result of and calculated using changes in habitat cover.
A global organisation with the vision that «the true value of forests is recognised and fully incorporated into society worldwide. FSC is the leading catalyst and defining force for improved forest management and market transformation, shifting the global forest trend toward sustainable use, conservation, restoration, and respect for all.» The FSC is best known for their forest certification scheme that requires the adherence to 10 principles and 70 criteria.
A form of fuel that is made from the natural decomposition of plants and animals and therefore releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases when burned. Fossil fuels are considered non-renewable resources because it would take millions of years for the natural process to produce a significant amount. Common examples are coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
An animal for whom the largest part of their diet comes from the consumption of fruit.
The small organ attached to the digestive tract that holds an animal’s bile, a fluid that helps to break down fats. The gallbladder and bile it contains in many bear species, including sun bears, is sought after for use in traditional medicine.
The period of time during which an animal is pregnant.
The common name for the taxonomic family, Hominidae, also known as hominids. This family of primates includes four living genera: humans, gorillas, chimpanzees/bonobos, and orangutans.
The natural environment and home for a living organism.
The latin name for the sun bear species. While they are one species across Southeast Asia, Sumatra, and Borneo, the populations on Borneo are distinct enough to have their own subspecies, Helarctos malayanus euryspilus.
A natural habitat that, within its biomass, contains significant stores of carbon. There are four classes of habitats that have the potential to be classified as HCS forests: high density forests, medium density forests, low density forests, and old scrub. Young scrub and cleared land are not eligible.
A natural habitat that has significant levels of biodiversity, naturally contains viable populations of all species for a significant natural landscape, contains threatened ecosystems, provides critical ecosystem services, is essential to meeting the needs of local communities, and/or is important to the cultural identity of local communities.
When humans and wild animals interact in a way that there is a negative result for one party. Human-wildlife conflict increases as human development expands into existing habitats, displacing the animal residents into human settlements and frequently ends with the retaliatory killing of the animals involved.
Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) was launched in 2011 by the Ministry of Agriculture within the Government of Indonesia, as a response to the ongoing environmental issues associated with mass oil palm cultivation. The primary goal of the initiative is to reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions by creating an Indonesian accreditation scheme and guidelines by which all oil palm producers within Indonesia must abide.
Translated directly from latin to mean ‘on-site,’ in-situ conservation includes all activities that work to preserve a species within its natural habitat, such as wild population management and habitat protection.
Known to be the global authority on the status of the natural world, the IUCN is composed of both government and civil organisations. It is best known for the Red List, which assigns a conservation status to all assessed species based on existing data and trends.
A 82 hectare pre-release island for orangutans undergoing rehabilitation in East Kutai, East Kalimantan. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
A 108 hectare pre-release island for orangutans undergoing rehabilitation on the Rungan River, Central Kalimantan. Read more about it on our Where We Work page .
The Indonesian section of the island of Borneo, comprised of 5 provinces: East, West, North, South, and Central Kalimantan. Together, they cover 54,415,000 hectares and make up about 73% of Borneo.
Translated to ‘orangutan’ in the Wehea Dayak language, this is the forest within the Ecosystem Restoration Concession in East Kalimantan managed by Restorasi Habitat Orangutan Indonesia under the BOS Foundation. Here the BOS Foundation and RHOI have reintroduced over 110 orangutans. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
A species who is integral to the overall health of the ecosystem it inhabits. If a keystone species was to be removed from its habitat, there would be a disproportionately large impact. Orangutans are a keystone species, largely due to their role as a seed disperser.
A genus of monkeys, common throughout much of Asia and select parts of North Africa. On the island of Borneo this includes long-tailed macaques and short-tailed macaques. They are known for their ability to live near and in human settlements.
An event when up to 95% of all species on Earth die out. Researchers have identified five in the history of Earth, the Ordovician Extinction, the Devonian Extinction, the Permian-triassic Extinction, the Triassic-jurassic Extinction, and the Cretaceous-paleogene Extinction (this is the one where the last non-avian dinosaurs died out). It is believed that we have entered the 6th mass extinction at present, the Holocene or Anthropocene Extinction.
A 309,000 hectare area in Central Kalimantan that includes conservation forests, protection forests, and land for other purposes. After a failed mega-rice project degraded the area in the 90s, the BOS Foundation has been working with local communities to rehabilitate the land and restore the forest. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
The Indonesian ministry responsible for the management of the country’s natural ecosystems and forests. This includes development of policies, implementation of initiatives, research, and coordination with stakeholders. The BOS Foundation operations are possible due to collaboration with the KLHK.
This mountain range stretches down the northern border of Kalimantan. Sections of the BOS Foundation’s Bukit Batikap release site are within this mountain range.
The Indonesian government agency responsible for responding to any major disasters. The BOS Foundation works closely with the BNPB, specifically during fire season as they frequently support the containment of large fire outbreaks.
In Indonesia, the designation of national park is the highest level of legal protection an ecosystem can receive. Within the bounds of a national park it is illegal to exploit the resources and animals for human usage. This is enforced by an active force of national park employees who manage the land.
The Indonesian government agency under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry that is responsible for the implementation and management of conservation activities on the ground. The BOS Foundation works closely with the BKSDA, during all orangutans rescues and in numerous other undertakings.
A BOS Foundation-run centre in Central Kalimantan, within the bounds of Palangaka Raya. Here, the BOS Foundation actively manages projects in orangutan rehabilitation and sanctuary care. Read more about it on our Where We Work page .
An animal that consumes both plant and animal matter.
A 35 hectare pre-release island for orangutans undergoing rehabilitation on the Rungan River, Central Kalimantan. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
A deposit that resembles soil but is made of decomposing organic matter. While there is not widespread usage of peat for fuel, its combustion releases huge stores of greenhouse gases.
The act of hunting or capturing an animal that is protected by law. This is applied to species that are protected themselves, such as orangutans, or individual animals who live in an area that is protected, such as a national park.
The genus for orangutans; within this genus are three extant species, the Bornean orangutan, the Sumatran orangutan, and the Tapanuli orangutan.
The Latin name for the Bornean orangutan species, which was first defined as a separate species from the Sumatran orangutan in 1996, following the sequencing of their mitochondrial DNA.
Following the release of an orangutan, their behaviour and physical health continue to be tracked in our post-release monitoring program. This is implemented by a PRM team, which lives at the release site and follows the orangutans monthly to collect valuable behavioural data regarding their adjustment to life in the wild and to intervene if they fail to adapt, get injured, or fall sick.
The taxonomic order which includes all apes, monkeys, and prosimians. This means that humans and orangutans are part of this order!
A forest that, under Indonesian law, cannot be used for timber, hunting, or other production purposes. This is for the goal of maintaining a healthy ecosystem and balanced hydrologic ecosystem services.
Technology that uses radio signals to locate an animal. It works through a system in which the radio transmitter, which is implanted under the skin of an orangutan, emits electromagnetic radio signals which can be picked up by a radio antenna and read as a beeping sound by the attached radio receiver. The radio transmitter of each animal emits unique waves, allowing it to also be used to identify the individual.
An inventory, first started in 1964 by the IUCN, that contains conservation information on animals, fungi, and plants around the world. This list is the global standard for reporting on the extinction risk for a species. Of the over 120,000 species already assessed, today, they report that approximately 32,000 are threatened with extinction.
An orangutan who has been prepared for return to the wild by humans through the teaching or stimulation of natural skills and/or veterinary care for physical injury or disease.
A non-profit organisation with the vision to «transform markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm.» They are known best for their sustainable certification scheme for oil palm producers, but they also bring together stakeholders including traders, manufacturers, retailers, banks, environmental NGOs, and social NGOs to work towards the realisation of their vision. The BOS Foundation is a member of the RSPO.
A cluster of islands, including the Kaja, Bangamat, and Palas Islands, that is used by the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre for the final stage of rehabilitation before orangutans are released back into safe forests. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
A cluster of islands, including the Badak Besar and Badak Kecil Islands, that is used by the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre for the final stage of rehabilitation before orangutans are released back into safe forests and as permanent sanctuary for unreleaseable orangutans. Read more about it on our Where We Work page.
A BOS Foundation-run centre in East Kalimantan, north of Balikpapan. Here, the BOS Foundation actively manages projects in orangutan rehabilitation, orangutan and sun bear sanctuary care, and reforestation. Read more about it on our Where We Work page .
Animals who live the majority of their lives alone, but still are social in specific circumstances. For orangutans, individuals, females in particular, may gather during times of high food availability. As the only semi-solitary great ape, their solitary nature is believed to be due in part to their challenging ecological niche and limited food availability, not the sociality of their evolutionary ancestors.
When females and males within the same species differ significantly in physical characteristics such as size, shape, or colour. In orangutans, females can be less than half the size of males and never develop the same cheek pads as males.
The network of relationships and dominance within a population. For orangutans, this appears less defined due to their mostly solitary lifestyle, but in reality, it is only more discrete, not absent.
The largest grouping of organisms that can produce fertile offspring. Individuals within a species often share similar physical traits, ecological niche, and genetic makeup.
More specific than the species level, this grouping of individuals is unique genetically from others within the same species due to geographical separation. In instances where subspecies ranges overlap, interbreeding and reproduction is possible.
An Indonesian island that sits to the west of Borneo and the home of the Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans.
This mountain range stretches down through both Central and West Kalimantan. Sections of the BOS Foundation’s Bukit Batikap and Bukit Baka Bukit Raya release sites are within this mountain range.
The relocating, by humans, of an animal from one location to another without an extended period of time in captivity or rehabilitation prior to the release. This is usually done for the purpose of moving an orangutan away from a threat, such as human-wildlife conflict or wildfires.
A charismatic species that is used as an icon for protecting an entire ecosystem. Orangutans are an umbrella species, so by protecting them we also protect the other animals, plants, and fungi that inhabit tropical forests in Indonesia.
A category on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species indicates a high risk of extinction in the wild. It indicates either
(1) a reduction in population size of 30% or more over a 10 year or 3 generation period,
(2) an area of occurrence that is less than 20,000 km2 and is continuing to decrease, fragment, or fluctuate and/or an area of occupancy that is less than 2,00 km2 and is continuing to decrease, fragment, or fluctuate,
(3) a population of fewer than 10,000 mature individuals that is also undergoing continuing decline, extreme fluctuations, or is comprised of fragmented or disproportionate subpopulations,
(4) a population of fewer than 1,000 mature individuals or all mature individuals are located within one subpopulation, or
(5) a quantitative analysis predicting a 10% or higher chance of extinction in the wild within the next 100 years.
The next categorisation is «Endangered». This is a simplification of a very complicated categorisation process. You can find further information (here).
Another term for watershed, meaning the area to where all water flow drains, forming a river, lake, or basin.
The upper boundary of the area under ground which is fully saturated with liquid water. It can vary with season or be permanently altered due to changes in climate or environment.
