Orangutan Times Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program Spring 2012
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An e-newsletter from your friends in Borneo Issue #5 Orangutan Times Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program Spring 2012 In This Issue Community Portrait: Sebadak Raya Village Page 1 Community Portrait: Sebadak Raya Page 2 Sebadak Raya continued Empowered communities such as Sebadak Raya are the greatest Page 3 Orangutan Caring Scholarships - hope for conservation. Announced! O r Page 4 Staff Profile: Mariamah Achmad On the 22nd and 23rd of February, in the village of Sebadak Raya, an a Page 5 Staff Changes environmental activities day was held, which included discussions about n Page 6 Staff Changes continued customary forests, REDD++ opportunities and climate change. Community g members were also able to partake in an environmental lecture, a puppet show Page 7 Make a Difference u for school children and environmental film screenings. The event was organized t by Fauna & Flora International, Edi Nurdiansyah from Yayasan a Palung (GPOCP), the volunteers of Yayasan Palung’s TAJAM n conservation volunteer youth group, as well as volunteers from RMI s (The Indonesian Institute for Forest Environment). R e Sebadak Raya has around 700 families, is located in the district of s Sandai, Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan, and is one of few c remaining places in the region untouched by plantations and mines. u e d Continued on page two - P a l m O i l - 213 Continued from page one Approximately 14,000 hectares of However, indigenous beliefs are not the to move into the area. The forest surround the village, of which only beliefs held in the village, the community wishes to conserve the 2,450 hectares are ‘customary forest’ or customary rules of other communities forest for future generations to be able legally recognized traditional are also respected. Rules for having to to appreciate, and be part of the community land. keep certain livestock, such as pigs, is natural environment that is so central one example, and demonstrates the to their traditional beliefs. In this time Trees stand tall around the community, plurality of values that keeps harmony of rapid deforestation for conversion the forest is valued and the community among the community. of land to agricultural and mining has appreciation for traditional areas, where the disappearance of customs. During the environmental Recently, agricultural and mining community lands is high, empowered activities day the team was invited to companies have tried, several times, to communities such as Sebadak Raya watch a fruit ceremony, a ritual enter into the Sebadak Raya area. standing up for their forests is what traditionally held at harvest time. The Despite their efforts, the community gives the greatest hope for indigenous communities of Sebadak has stated their strong opposition to any conservation. Raya hold strong beliefs about fruit such activity, and after a public hearing trees, they are viewed as a source of life concerning the matter are currently and are forbidden from being cut down. standing against the companies’ desires C o m m u n 2i t y 213 Orangutan Caring Scholarships Announced! On Friday, May 18th, the two rather than existing university orangutan and forest conservation. winning students, Rinta Islami and students. By selecting students still in In total, 14 students applied, of Ayu Agustin, selected for the first high school the program sees the whom eight passed the first phase. ever Beasiswa Peduli Orangutan students through their entire The second phase consisted of (Orangutan Caring Scholarships university process, and links high presentations given by the candidates Program) in West Kalimantan, were schools and universities together in and interviews with a jury, after presented with their scholarships at strengthening the future of orangutan which the final two recipients were an award ceremony held in conservation in West Kalimantan. selected based on the highest scores. Ketapang. The program has three main goals: 1) to foster an intellectual generation in The scholarship value is All GPOCP staff, the selection panel, Ketapang and Kayong Utara that has approximately $1500 per student, the top eight students and local press a commitment to, and concern for, and will cover university entrance attended the evening. Gary Shapiro, the cause of orangutan and habitat fees, yearly tuition fees for all four from program partner, Orang Utan conservation, 2) to provide moral and years, as well as research and thesis Republik, flew in to present the material support to young people of costs. The winning candidates have a scholarships to the recipients, Ketapang and Kayong Utara for the number of obligations they must making the evening a great official continuation of their education to the maintain throughout their time at start to the scholarship program in college level and 3) to promote university for the continuation of West Kalimantan. educational cooperation between their scholarship into the following parties in Ketapang and Kayong year. Each student’s grade point The program provides scholarships Utara on the topic of natural resource average must be 2.75 or above, they for local students from the Ketapang use. This year the program sought must volunteer for one month a year and Kayong Utara regencies to one student from each regency, and at GPOCP and their research thesis attend the Tangjungpura University was aimed at students from must be related to Bornean in Pontianak, and is a collaboration economically disadvantaged orangutan conservation. between the Orang Utan Republik backgrounds. Foundation, Orangutan Outreach These exciting scholarships will start and GPOCP. A similar program In order to apply, students were in the 2012-2013 academic year, and exists in Sumatra, on which our required to submit their school are a promising start to building an program is based, although our grades, two letters of reference and intellectual generation that is program differs slightly, as we select support from an academic tutor, a committed to orangutan and habitat students that are still in high school, motivational letter and an essay about conservation in West Kalimantan. 3 132 GPOCP Staff Profile The Charles Southwick Conservation Education Commitment Award Winner Mariamah Achmad In recognition of her outstanding long-term conservation movement to commitment to conservation survive. Education has always been a education, GPOCP’s Mariamah calling for Mariamah, before joining Day and Orangutan Caring Week. Achmad was recently given the GPOCP she was the head of capacity Furthermore, Mariamah expanded our Charles Southwick Award by the building for the largest environmental curriculum to include not only the International Primatological Society. organization in Indonesia, WALHI teaching of important field skills such Mariamah oversees GPOCP’s (Friends of the Earth Indonesia). as plant identification, but also education team and dozens of organizational management, volunteers, coordinates all program Mariamah has been an inspirational presentation development and delivery activities and is continually developing leader of our education team, and in her and other related skills. the education program to advance first year increased our outreach to conservation in communities around extend to 40-50% more students and The Charles Southwick Award is Gunung Palung National Park. schools than the previous year, and structured so that $250 goes to a local further developed relationships with organization of the recipient’s choice; Mariamah grew up in West teachers in order to reinvigorate a Mariamah chose to give this to Kalimantan, the relatively isolated commitment to environmental education TAJAM, a local conservation province where we work. She first in the classroom. In 2011 she oversaw a volunteer youth group. The remaining became involved with environmental redesign of our lesson plans and the $750 goes to the award winner and and conservation issues as a forestry creation of specialized modules to cover Mariamah felt that she should use it to student at the local university, mangrove habitat, climate change, eco- increase her capacity as a conservation Universitas Tanjungpura. She felt tourism, palm oil plantations and other educator. Therefore, to widen her compelled to address the poverty and issues particular to the communities we national and international social conflict that so often causes work with. Last year the program environmental network, and increase environmental degradation in reached an impressive 5,833 students and her conservation knowledge, she used Indonesia. When inter-ethnic violence 99 teachers in 135 schools throughout the award to attend a conservation erupted in West Kalimantan, a result of the Ketapang and Kayong Utara conference in Java held by the the fall of the Suharto dictatorship, regencies, where 220 activities were Indonesian environmental campaign Mariamah worked with displaced conducted, including lectures, puppet group ProFauna. communities, heading an alternative shows and practical activities. education program in refugee camps It has meant a great deal to Mariamah while finishing her undergraduate Her work has diversified our education to be recognized for her achievements degree. In addition to her passion for program by mentoring secondary schools and commitment to the cause she environmental issues, Mariamah to develop their own volunteer believes in so passionately. She has volunteers with local credit unions and conservation youth groups. These groups made, and no doubt will continue to women’s rights organizations