Indonesian National Nature Conservation Day, which falls on 10 August annually, reminds us of the importance of a well-preserved environment. The day was inaugurated by Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2009, during the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
National Nature Conservation Day provides more than the chance to campaign for nature preservation; it also aims to educate and invite local communities to play a more active role in protecting and preserving the environment.
Since 2016, the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation has worked in collaboration with the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park (TNBBBR) Office, the Central Kalimantan BKSDA, and USAID LESTARI to facilitate the release of 167 rehabilitated orangutans, and three wild orangutans that were translocated from conflict areas. The first release in the Central Kalimantan side of TNBBBR took place on 13 August 2016.
Like proud parents, we are absolutely thrilled to know that the rehabilitated orangutans we released have adapted well to the wild environment of the release site, with some even breeding in the forest. The creation of a new, wild orangutan population is the ultimate goal of the long process of orangutan rehabilitation. Since the first release held four years ago in TNBBBR, we have recorded two natural births in the forest from orangutan mothers Aulin and Ijum.
Finding forests suitable for releasing orangutans that have completed the rehabilitation process is not an easy task. These forests must meet a number of requirements: they must be located below 900 meters above sea level, have sufficient stock of natural orangutan food sources, have a small wild orangutan population, and be safe from potential exploitation in the future. Before TNBBBR was utilised in Central Kalimantan, the BOS Foundation was releasing orangutans in the Bukit Batikap Protection Forest.
Orangutan releases involve a number of stakeholders, clearly illustrating the importance of unity in the face of great challenges. The environment can only be preserved when all stakeholders agree to act in long-term and harmonious collaborations. We at the BOS Foundation hope that efforts to conserve orangutans as a key forest species will positively impact forest quality, which will ultimately benefit us all.
Happy National Nature Conservation Day!
Text by: BOS Foundation Communication Team
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