Pursuing harmonious coexistence between people and orangutans in Kalimantan

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ANTARA – The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), native to the island of Kalimantan, is the great ape closest genetically to humans, as the two species share about 97% of their DNA.

In fact, the existence of highly intelligent apes, like China’s giant pandas and Australia’s kangaroos, is of primary value in the eyes of the international community.

Despite this high value, the Bornean orangutan was declared endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1994.

Domestically, Indonesia has long passed Law No. 9 of 1990 on the Protection of Natural Biological Resources and Their Ecosystems, listing the iconic apes on the list of protected animals.

Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) head Persada Agussetia Sitepu blamed the continued decline in orangutan numbers on those who hunt and traffic the species.

Stirp said the adverse trend is also attributed to the destruction of forests and species habitats, fires and illegal practices, which also lead to a shortage of natural food supply.

As a result, orangutans are forced to move to new areas in search of food resources, and plantations managed by companies or local residents are a viable option, ultimately sparking a human-wildlife conflict.

“Such conflicts often result in the death of diurnal apes,” Stepp noted.

Conflict prevention

The 2016 Orangutan Population and Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) estimated the total number of orangutans living on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and Indonesia and Malaysia’s island of Kalimantan or Borneo to be around 71,820.

There are 57,350 Bornean orangutans, distributed over a total area of 18,169,200 hectares, divided into 42 populations, of which 18 populations are expected to thrive in the next one to five centuries.

For orangutans to thrive, humans must take steps to prevent conflict, taking a holistic approach that involves many parties, including governments, non-governmental organizations, companies and local people.

Central Kalimantan BKSDA has been actively supporting the sustainable development of orangutans by implementing programs aimed at protecting and restoring the habitats of critically endangered apes, while not hindering development projects.

To prevent human-orangutan conflict, BKSDA works to ensure that companies involved in the production of palm oil, timber and other commodities adhere to defined sustainability standards and strict social responsibility.

The conservation agency has invested a lot of time and energy, working with law enforcement officials, to take decisive action against the killing, capture and trade of Bornean orangutans.

There are also calls for local governments and stakeholders to establish wildlife corridors.

In addition, the Central Kalimantan BSKDA continues to maintain partnerships with NGOs such as the Borneo Orangutan Survival Organization and Orangutan Fund International to rescue, rehabilitate and release orangutans.

Wildlife Friendly Village

It is believed that efforts to increase awareness and active participation of local people on the importance of conservation are key to ensuring permanent harmony between humans and orangutans.

“For this reason, the Minister of Environment and Forestry (Siti Nurbaya) has designated Tahawa as a wildlife-friendly village,” said Sitepu of the Central Kalimantan BKSDA.

Tahawa Village is located in the Pulang Pisau district, about 1.5 hours by four-wheel vehicle from Palangka Raya, the capital of Central Kalimantan Province.

The village of Tahawa is located in the middle of an industrial plantation, making the forest an attractive hunting ground for hunters from outside the village.

This situation has motivated the villagers of Tahawa to actively participate in ensuring the sustainability of the forest and the biodiversity it hosts.

To support the central government’s initiative, the Central Kalimantan BKSDA has been providing assistance and guidance to Tahawa and nearby villages to adopt the Wildlife Friendly Village concept.

The BKSDA has started collecting data on villages to identify which ones have the potential to become another wildlife-friendly zone.

Once a village is declared wildlife-friendly, it is expected to become a release or relocation site for rescued wildlife in Central Kalimantan.

According to monitoring in 2022, Tahawa Village is home to a variety of protected animals such as orangutans, Bornean white-bearded gibbons, paradise tyrants, trogons, Bornean fox-tailed deer, mouse deer, barking muntjacs, jungle cats, tarsiers and pangolins.

As Tahawa is rich in biodiversity, plans are underway to turn it into a wildlife tourism village managed independently by local residents. In addition, BSKDA is continuously training villagers to track animals, thereby providing them with opportunities to serve as guides for wildlife enthusiasts.

Currently, the protected areas managed by the Central Kalimantan BSKDA cover an area of 539,296.67 hectares, which only accounts for 3.51% of the total area of Central Kalimantan province.

At the same time, striving for the sustainability of biodiversity outside protected areas is equally important. Therefore, the establishment of wildlife-friendly villages can be seen as an initiative by the government to expand the scope of care beyond protected areas.

It is important to note that the idea of such a village is essentially based on the goal of coordinating the activities and interests of humans and wildlife living in the same area.

Dendi Sutiadi, head of the Pangkalan Bun Reserve of BKSDA in Central Kalimantan, said the department has put in place strong conflict mitigation measures while building partnerships with locals to pave the way for the establishment of another wildlife-friendly village.

In addition, the conservation agency actively promotes against wildlife hunting and reminds companies to ensure that their activities do not pose a threat to wildlife.

Everyone should always remember that the forests of Kalimantan are a shared home for both humans and wildlife.

Synchronized, collaborative action is essential to ensure that forests, wildlife, and people can thrive without harming others.

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