An e-newsletter from your friends in Issue #2

Orangutan Times Gunung Palung Conservation Program

November 2010

In This Issue

Page 1 -Making Room for More Environmental Programs Page 2 -A Sad Reminder Environmental Education Center -Be an Informed Consumer Makes Room for More Programs Page 3 -Strengthening Government’s Commitment to Conservation

-New Online Video Thanks to the generous support of Delores Janet Mason and Orangutan Conservancy, GPOCP is putting the finishing touches on a beautiful new -Seeing the Forest for the Trees Page 4 wing of its Environmental Education Center in , giving staff and -Thanks to our Supporters visitors some much-needed breathing room for an ever-expanding array of public programs. Page 5 -Celebrating Sustainability For the past year, GPOCP staff and volunteers have been working, cooking, -Name our Newsletter…and Win! sleeping and holding meetings in a basic one-room structure. Today, the Page 6 -Staff News Center is headquarters for REBONK, GPOCP’s Kayong Utara Conservation Volunteers Club, as well as RBL, the cooperative of bamboo

artisans comprised of members of three villages bordering Gunung Palung National Park. The new wing will enable GPOCP to expand education activities, especially for elementary school students who have a difficult time accessing the more challenging nature trails inside the Park. While construction of the building is now complete, plans are underway to add a hand-painted orangutan mural to the wall of the front porch (photo at left), to craft resource-friendly bamboo furniture (thanks to RBL), and to officially dedicate the new wing with a plaque that reads, “The Delores Janet Mason Multimedia Room, Dedicated by Orangutan Conservancy.”

A Sad Reminder Of the High Cost of Palm Oil

Since January, GPOCP’s Animal abduct her offspring. They soon GPOCP also continues to and Habitat Protection Team has found a baby orangutan at a spearhead a legal case against an been working with local authorities neighboring plantation, which orangutan trader in who, and partner NGOs to address the confirmed their suspicions. Sadly, as a result of GPOCP’s collab- confiscation of six and the baby was in poor health (above oration with West one Malay sun bear illegally held in left photo) and died upon its authorities and international district. All involved transport back to Ketapang. NGOs, was caught in the very first successful sting operation against were heartbroken when two In September, GPOCP’s team the orangutan trade in . orangutans, identified as being worked with International Animal illegally-held on palm oil Rescue to confiscate a nine-month The trial against the orangutan plantations, died in June. A badly old baby orangutan in Muara trader has now begun, and GPOCP wounded female orangutan, Pawan (above right photo). The continues to work with local estimated to be 20 years old, was team’s investigations indicated the journalists to maximize news dying from infected wounds and animal had originated from within a coverage, hoping to act as a deter- dog bites when the rescue team forest that was actively being cleared rent to other animal traders. Look arrived at the palm oil plantation in for the Limpah Sejatera oil palm for updates in future issues of Kendawangan. Rescuers believe plantation; investigators worked Orangutan TIMES. the orangutan had been wounded in with local journalists to expose the an attempt by palm oil workers to incident in regional papers. Be an Orangutan-Friendly Consumer

Orangutans are seriously threatened by illegal logging and the rapid expansion of oil palm agriculture by large-scale industries producing consumer goods (including wood and palm oil). Many traditionally harvested forest products are growing scarce, while human conflicts with wildlife— including a sharp increase in the illegal killing and trade of orangutans— are on the rise.

You can help save orangutans by avoiding products that come from Southeast Asia and are not sustainably harvested. Visit our website at www.saveGPorangutans.org to learn about ways you and your friends and family can shop wisely.

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Strengthening Government’s Commitment to Conservation

In Indonesia, the government land use planning process determines the regional governments’ development activities for many years. This remaining deep peat forests, which process is conducted at various levels, are prime orangutan habitat as well the most important of which is at the as essential carbon sinks in the fight regency level known as RTRWK. against global warming. While we are pleased to see our input being In addition to planning infrastructure department and the Bupati (Regent considered, we know palm oil and development such as ports, roads, and or administrative head) were alerted mining companies are aggressively electricity grids, the RTRWK to these activities by GPOCP and trying to influence the process in an determines which areas are given other organizations operating in the opposing direction. The fight is far protected status, and which forests are area. The Bupati responded to our from over. open to logging, palm oil plantations, complaints by issuing an order mining and other activities. In recent months we have also been forbidding all logging of durian working to stop the illegal logging of trees, and called in federal police With the election of a new durian trees being conducted both helicopters to deter loggers. As part administration in the Ketapang inside the national park and in the of our Conservation Awareness Regency in August, GPOCP has been forests surrounding it in Kayong Program, we helped to disseminate participating in a multi-stakeholder Utara. After an extensive field the order through local newspapers revision to the Ketapang RTRWK. investigation, we found that several and other mass media. Although We are leading a coalition of local people were logging with some logging continues today, we groups to provide input to identify questionably-obtained permits issued are pleased to see growth in areas of highest conservation value, by village heads. The local forestry political support to end it. advocating for the conservation of all

New Online Video “Yayasan Palung: Saving the people to save the forest”

Rob Little, Bates College class of men with chainsaws can fell gave me a deeper understanding of the 2012, wanted to get out of the centuries-old trees in minutes. issues I am studying at Bates.” classroom and tackle "something that would result in more than just "After living among these people, I The groundwork for Little's work was a grade." And he knew where he understand why they cut the forests," the course "Conserving the Great wanted to go: Indonesian Borneo, Little says. "Not because they don't Apes," taught by Dr. Sonya "to learn everything I could about care, but because they are worried Kahlenberg, a visiting assistant their environmental struggles, and about surviving tomorrow and the professor of biology who is an expert in then present this to an outside next day. Cutting the forest is primate ecology and behavior, as well audience" through video. destroying their future. But making it as GPOCP’s Treasurer. to the future depends on them cutting (Thanks to Bates College for this article) In Borneo, Little worked with the the forest."

Gunung Palung Orangutan To view Rob Little’s Little has come to understand that Conservation Program (known video visit: "no simple solution exists to stop the locally as Yayasan Palung) where www.vimeo.com/15099996 he saw first-hand the diminishing destruction. But it released a new orangutan habitat, and how skilled level of determination within me and

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Helping Children See the Forest for the Trees

GPOCP also continued to work For several years, GPOCP has At the request of Riam Berasap with several other schools in the been working with leaders and Jaya’s village head—a former region. With the help of a group of villagers of Riam Berasap Jaya, logger-turned-conservation- teachers, GPOCP is planning ahead located on the southern border of champion—GPOCP arranged for a for a special environmental the Gunung Palung National Park, local artist to paint murals on education training for junior high helping them conserve their forest classroom walls depicting native and high school teachers in the resources. When the village started flora and fauna, including Ketapang area. Koen Setyawan, its first kindergarten program earlier orangutans, proboscis monkeys and who leads the Indonesian this year, GPOCP’s Environmental other animals that share their forest. Environmental Education Education Program staff were The murals are a beautiful daily Network, will help facilitate the delighted to respond to the reminder to children to care for training workshop, which aims to community’s request for help in their environment. In recent build a strong network for local making their new kindergarten a months, GPOCP staff joined educators to help motivate and place for children to learn about students in their classroom, support each other in advancing protecting the forest around them. introducing them to the orangutan and its habitat. environmental education in their respective schools.

Many Thanks to Our Recent Funders & Donors!

Recent Funders: American Association of Zookeepers of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo ! American Society of Primatologists ! Ape Conservation Effort-Zoo Atlanta ! Arcus Foundation ! Conservation, Food & Health Foundation ! International Primatological Society ! Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund ! Mohamed bin Zayad Conservation Fund ! National Geographic ! Orangutan Conservancy ! SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Conservation Fund ! Tides Foundation ! The Nature Conservancy ! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great Apes Conservation Fund! Woodland Park Zoo Recent Donors: Dorothy Burbank ! Silvano Gai ! Robert Mauri in honor of LeeAnn Fox ! Isabel Walsh

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Celebrating a Sustainable Forest

Riam Berasap Jaya becomes first village in region to declare their “Customary Forest”

“Approximately four years ago, GPOCP began working with area In July, Riam Berasap Jaya became recognition of their customary forest. communities to build local the first village in Kayong Utara to In the meantime, GPOCP continues management and protection of formally declare their customary to work hand-in-hand with village their customary forests—a legal forest, passing a decree demarcating leaders to create their own forest designation that gives them more their forest borders and creating a management capacity. All involved control over their forest resources.” council to sustainably manage their eagerly await the opportunity to “Ensuring communities have forest resources. It was cause for celebrate a commitment to long-term permanent access to their own celebration of a hard-earned victory sustainability. forests to support traditional needs that will enhance the well-being of all will weaken the temptation to villagers, today and tomorrow, and encroach upon the biologically rich help to ensure a permanent home for buffer zones outside the national many wildlife species, including the park, and will help to create a orangutan. strong and lasting bond between Riam Berasap Jaya’s victory is people and nature—essential serving as a model for other villages. elements of a successful orangutan With GPOCP’s help Lamon Satong, conservation movement. “ located in , Andrew de Sousa recently submitted a request to the GPOCP Field Director Ministry of Forestry asking for official

Suggest a catchy new name for our e-newsletter… And win a beautiful framed 8 x 10 color photo of an orangutan signed by award winning photographer Tim Laman*

Dear Orangutan TIMES Reader,

We love sharing news and photos about our work to save the endangered orangutan of Borneo, and are pleased to see our readership has grown after just one issue—thanks to you! As a new e-newsletter, we’re still searching for the perfect name. Have ideas? Send them to us at [email protected] by December 31, 2010. If your suggestion is selected, you’ll win Tim Laman’s beautiful orangutan photo and be acknowledged in a future newsletter. Good luck and thanks! *www.timlaman.com 5

GPOCP Staff News: Networking, Coalition Work & Research

In July, GPOCP Environmental Protection and presented on her research Education Manager Mariamah into wild orangutan health and energy Achmad participated in the levels. Andrew de Sousa also presented Borneo Conference on Forests, Climate GPOCP’s work as part of a panel on Change and Energy in Sarawak, Engaging Local People for Conservation in . The four-day meeting South-East Asia. brought together representatives of indigenous peoples from all regions of GPOCP continues to look for ways to Mission: Borneo, as well representatives of develop the conservation capacity of its The Gunung Palung Orangutan forest peoples from other tropical staff as well as the capacity of its partners Conservation Program's countries. Participants gave around the region. In September, mission is to develop a human presentations on the threats facing Assistant Field Officer Tri Nugroho community that is aware and their communities from palm oil attended a training in Pontianak on motivated to conserve and plantations, mining, and hydroelectric identifying and classifying orangutan protect the orangutans, dams; Mariamah was part of the nests, aimed at developing a common nest its habitat, and biodiversity delegation of groups representing identification standard for West within the forest. efforts to conserve forests in NGOs. Agus Lujito attended Kalimantan. a three-day training on identifying protected wildlife, and understanding how Listening to each others’ experiences, the Indonesian legal system can be used to they discussed strategies and tactics to combat wildlife trade. Two other GPOCP protect indigenous rights and promote Field Assistants, Herie Handoko and long-term sustainable forest manage- Mulyono Yusup, are currently spending ment. GPOCP joined other partici- two months with the Gunung Palung pants as founding members of the Orangutan Project to conduct a field Borneo Indigenous Peoples Alliance, survey of the orangutan population in calling for a moratorium on all Gunung Palung National Park, development projects that are being spearheaded by researcher Josephine conducted without the free, prior and Beck. This will be the first time in informed consent of the affected almost ten years that a population communities. survey is completed across the park. Visit our website at Data will be key to informing GPOCP’s www.SaveGPorangutans.org Tito P. Indrawan, Andrew de Sousa, future conservation activities. to learn more about ways you Edi Rahman and Dr. Cheryl Knott can help protect the were recent participants in the

endangered orangutan International Workshop on Orangutan ORANGUTANS NEED YOU! Conservation, with approximately 200 " others from around the world. Interested in supporting our work GPOCP presented on current with a tax deductible year-end gift? conservation efforts in West Newsletter prepared by: Kalimantan, and facilitated the Donate by Check: Hollis Burbank-Hammarlund, participation of relevant government Checks should be made payable to U.S. Administrative Director officials from the province. Represen- Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Andrew de Sousa, Field Director tatives from dozens of NGOs and Program and mailed to: PO Box 2250, government bodies across Borneo and Brattleboro, VT 05303. Include your Sumatera discussed strategies on how name and mailing address so we can to advance the Indonesian National acknowledge your gift. Orangutan Action Plan and other Please forward this newsletter to your friends. To subscribe, send an email to conservation efforts. Donate by Credit Card: [email protected] Visit our website at GPOCP also participated in the 2010 www.SaveGPorangutans.org, which will " International Meeting of the Association for take you to a secure PayPal page. Tropical Biology and Conservation, held GPOCP Photo Credits: for the first time in Indonesia. GPOCP Orangutan photographs copyright Tim Executive Director Dr. Cheryl Knott is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Laman; pg. 2 baby orangutan in lap Rob organized a symposium on Conserving U.S. Federal Tax ID Number: Little; other photographs GPOCP staff. Primates through Research and Habitat 26-1380932

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