The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation, winner of the 2017 Animalis Edition World Branding Award, in cooperation with the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (TNBBBR) Authority, and USAID LESTARI will release six more orangutans to the TNBBBR to mark World Wildlife Conservation Day.
Six orangutans, all of whom have completed a lengthy rehabilitation process at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, will be released to the TNBBBR. This event, the 13th orangutan release conducted in the TNBBBR since the first event in August 2016, and the 26th orangutan release of BOS Foundation’s Central Kalimantan Orangutan Reintroduction Program since 2012, will take place around World Wildlife Conservation Day. It will also bring the total number of orangutans released by the BOS Foundation to the TNBBBR in Katingan Regency to 112 individuals.
The six orangutans include two males (Grendon and Sepang) and four females (Mary, Ranger, Gaya, and Ramin). They will depart from Nyaru Menteng and take a 10- to 12-hour journey across both road and river to reach the predetermined release points in the TNBBBR.
DR. IR. JAMARTIN SIHITE, MSc., BOS Foundation CEO, said; «Conservation is an endless effort. Throughout 2018, we managed to release 52 orangutans to forest release sites in East and Central Kalimantan. We also received 21 more orangutans at our two rehabilitation centers, and managed to move 26 orangutans to pre-release islands. All of this has been achieved thanks to cooperation and partnerships with various stakeholders.
Conservation doesn’t just focus on improving conditions. It also involves all stakeholders agreeing to work hard to protect what is left. Therefore, land-clearing, hunting, and the illegal trade must all be stopped. There also needs to be more stringent law enforcement, without exception. We believe that firmer law enforcement has the greatest potential to halt the decline of wild orangutan populations.»
IR. ADIB GUNAWAN, Head of the Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), added; «The Central Kalimantan BKSDA greatly appreciates all forms of cooperation among stakeholders, in an effort to preserve and protect nature and the environment in Central Kalimantan. Collaboration between the TNBBBR, USAID LESTARI, and the BOS Foundation in releasing orangutans from the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is an example of how teamwork can have a positive impact. In the past two years, this particular collaboration has succeeded in returning 106 (increased to 112 after today) rehabilitated orangutans to the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park in Katingan District.
We at the Central Kalimantan BKSDA hope that initiatives like this will be replicated by other stakeholders. Since we all enjoy the benefits of nature and the environment, it is only natural that we all bear the responsibility of caring for and protecting the environment. We must embrace this responsibility together.»
IR. HERU RAHARJO, M.P., Head of the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (TNBBBR) Authority, added; «One of the key efforts in conserving nature and the environment is the preservation of wildlife in the forest. Releasing orangutans to natural habitats, such as that of the TNBBBR, is obviously a realisation of this effort. Orangutan reintroduction itself involves a very complicated process, because not all forests automatically meet the requirements of becoming an orangutan release site. We have to ensure that certain conditions are met. We need to secure a suitable orangutan distribution area in terms of elevation, complete with sufficient food sources, small wild orangutan population to minimise competition, and secure forests, completely free from the possibility of land conversion.
We at the National Park Authority will work hard to ensure the sustainability of the orangutans that have been released here, and hopefully they will soon form a new wild orangutan population. There is no better moment than World Wildlife Conservation Day to show our collective commitment to the conservation of nature.»
ROSENDA CHANDRA KASIH, Central Kalimantan USAID LESTARI Landscape Coordinator, added; «USAID LESTARI is proud to support the rehabilitation and release process of 112 orangutans within two years. Biodiversity conservation efforts must be carried out in an integrated manner and therefore, the involvement of all stakeholders is imperative. The support provided by the USAID LESTARI project, through collaboration with the Government of Indonesia and the BOS Foundation, is one example of our commitment in supporting the national program to safeguard and protect national biodiversity and maintain ecosystem balance.
We hope to be able to support the Indonesian Government through other forms of cooperation in the future.»
To ensure a successful conservation effort involving all stakeholders, the BOS Foundation continues to work closely with the Government of Indonesia at all levels, including the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government, Katingan Regency Government, the Central Kalimantan BKSDA, the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park Authority, and USAID LESTARI.
The BOS Foundation would like to acknowledge the support of a number of partners, including the Katingan District community, USAID LESTARI, our global partners (BOS Australia, BOS UK, BOS Germany, BOS Swiss, and Save the Orangutan), private-sector donors like Citilink, individual supporters from around the world, and institutions that assist and contribute to the conservation effort in Indonesia.
Editors Note :
Paulina Laurensia Ela
BOSF Communications Specialist
pauline@orangutan.or.id
Nico Hermanu
Communications Officer
Email: nico@orangutan.or.id
Rosenda Chandra Kasih
USAID LESTARI Central Kalimantan Landscape Coordinator
Email: rosenda.kasih@lestari-Indonesia.org
The press release is available to download here:
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