SOS Statement on Anti-Racism and Intersectional Environmentalism

One of Sumatran Orangutan Society’s values is Respect – Everything we do is done with respect for orangutans, their habitat and the people living near it. We do not harm them with the projects we support or with our communications about our work, and we conduct due diligence on any partner or collaborator to ensure they also have respect for both humans and nature.

As a conservation and environmental charity, we need to acknowledge that Western conservation models were born from colonialism and that we must not perpetuate colonial attitudes or allow the initiatives we support to harm people’s rights or freedoms.

We know that this also needs to go beyond the work we do in Sumatra. Environmental injustice and social injustice are inextricably linked, and charities like SOS must not allow social injustice to be overlooked in the pursuit of environmental progress.

The SOS staff, board and volunteers stand in solidarity with Black people, Indigenous people and People of Colour. We commit to being proactively anti-racist and to educating ourselves on the ways we can use our privilege to advocate for social justice.

We encourage our supporters to engage with anti-racism and intersectional environmentalism. Here are some of the people and organisations we’re learning from:

Intersectional Environmentalist

WALHI 

The Great Unlearn

Michelle Rodrigues