Endangered Bornean orangutan. The Belantikan forests are home to some 6,000 wild orangutans. © Ian Wood.
Remote village nestled in the Belantikan Hulu forests. © Yayorin.
In 2010/11, The Rufford Foundation provided a grant of £10,000 to the Orangutan Foundation.
Belantikan Conservation Programme
The Orangutan Foundation, with a small Indonesian organisation Yayorin (Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia), established the Belantikan Conservation Programme (BCP) in 2005 to conserve the largest known wild orangutan population outside of a protected area.
The Belantikan region in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo contains 6,000 orangutan of the subspecies Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii in one continuous habitat block of lowland tropical forest and dipterocarpaceae highland forest covering 510,000 ha.
The BCP’s objective is to protect the remaining forested areas through biodiversity research and community empowerment activities. The Rufford Foundation grant provided crucial core support to ensure the continuation of the BCP and major achievements in 2010/11 includes:
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A recommendation from the local district government to the Governor of Central Kalimantan for the establishment of a field research station which includes a 540 ha area for research and education. The BCP team will continue to engage in the process in order to receive final permission from the Minister of Forestry.
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Drafting of village regulations which identify key forest areas to protect for conservation and cultural reasons. This has resulted in an overall increase in awareness and commitment to conservation from key stakeholders.
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Continued support for farming groups which involves identifying and mapping farm areas and maintaining agriculture demonstrations focusing on a sustainable permanent land use system of agro-forestry reduces the destructive practice of slash and burn farming.
