Our Projects
Orangutans are excellent ambassadors for their
rainforest home. They are highly charismatic, and draw a great deal of
attention to the forests of Indonesia and Malaysia, which are vitally
important
in the global fight against climate change. Our projects leave a lasting
legacy by
empowering the next generation of Indonesian conservationists. Our
grassroots projects focus not only on
wildlife conservation, but also assist rural communities to protect and
improve
their environment and surrounding forests, increasing their practical
engagement with local
conservation issues.
Our projects address
conservation priorities for the forests, biodiversity and communities of
northern Sumatra. These include rainforest
restoration, ecotourism development programmes adjacent to the Gunung Leuser
National Park, and the
creation of a network of "conservation villages" which serve as models of
conservation-oriented living, promoting environmental education and habitat
protection, whilst supporting the development of sustainable livelihoods.
We support the Orangutan Information Centre's team of dedicated Indonesian
conservationists, who are working at the frontline of environmental protection
in Sumatra. They have pioneered a conservation curriculum for
schools in North Sumatra, and have
established a scholarship programme for local university students to promote
orangutan research. Our community forestry schemes reinforce national park
buffer zones and provide sustainable alternative incomes for people living
adjacent to natural orangutan habitat. We have helped local people to plant
over half a million indigenous tree seedlings to date. We have two
OranguVans on the road, equipped with environmental libraries and film
screening equipment for our mobile conservation cinema.
View a film about our work in Sumatra
Our goal is to
expand these existing programmes to reach even more communities. The success of
orangutan conservation in Indonesia lies in the hands of the local people.
Find our more about our forest restoration, community conservation, environmental education and ecotourism projects.
View a film Panut Hadisiswoyo, Director of the Orangutan Information Centre, introducing our tree replanting project within the Gunung Leuser National Park: