Gunung Palung National Park and Flora and Fauna International

The situation in Indonesian Borneo appears to be very bad for many orangutans. Compared to Sumatra (also in Indonesia) and Sabah, Malaysia, Indonesian Borneo is going through a major conversion from forest to oil palm plantations on a massive scale. Sumatra and Sabah, Malaysia already went through this transition many years ago and have very few orangutans left as a result. There are 87 different palm oil companies in the Ketapang region.


Palm Oil as far as the eye can see.


Truck on scale to weigh FFBs (fresh fruit bunches of palm oil).

Our next meeting was with the National Park office which is a run by the Forestry Department. The forestry official we met with told us a lot about Gunung Palung National Park. The park was established in 1927 and was enlarged in 1990. There are 2,500-3,000 orangutans in the park, it is 90,000 hectares, and 6 rangers patrol and monitor the park via trekking, water boats and ultra-light airplanes. There are currently two ultra-light pilots, but recently an NGO gave them money and tools to train more pilots. The park official we spoke with thinks Borneo needs a good zoo so local people can see the animals and learn about them. He also said that there is too much forest being converted to palm oil. We were very surprised to learn that in 2008 there were 222 guests to the park, and in 2009 there were 488 guests. We expected this park to be a more popular destination.

Next we visited with FFI, Flora and Fauna International. A major project they are working on is HCV assessments for palm oil plantations. HCV areas are high in conservation value, and there are many factors that can lead to this classification. A few examples are:
• endangered species living in the area,
• land that has cultural significance for indigenous people,
• riparian areas

The reason for assessing HCV areas is that it is a requirement of the RSPO in order for a plantation to be a member of RSPO and to be certified as sustainable. FFI has many specialists that make up their HCV assessment team (bat specialist, bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian, etc.). An impressive part of this program is that the palm oil plantations do not pay for the assessments; they are funded by FFI and other NGOs so there is no question about validity or bias/influence.


The FFI Team

We met with a man named Fajri from Gemawan, an NGO that helps communities manage the local forests sustainably. They are working with twelve different villages. Of the many projects they are working on, one of the most unique is the collection of kopi luwak. If you have seen the movie “The Bucket List” this might ring a bell. This involves collecting coffee beans that are eaten then defecated by wild palm civets. This specialty coffee fetches very high prices and gives local people an incentive to protect the civets. (Yes, people pay a lot to drink this!) Of the twelve villages they are working with, conversion of forests to palm oil plantations has not been a concern near any of those villages thus far.

We visited a medical clinic that gives a large discount to patients who are not loggers. Also, if they are unable to pay with money then patients or their families can trade handicrafts for medical services. The photo below is of some crafts that were traded at the clinic.



A highlight of our time in this area was a hike and overnight stay in Gunung Palung National Park. The hike was steep but beautiful, and we slept on the upper levels of a giant complex tree house. While we slept a wild bearded pig came into the camp and ate all of the coffee, then splashed around in the nearby creek. The camping precautions we take to avoid conflict with wildlife in the U.S. could definitely apply to other parts of the world. (Not sure how to keep primates out of your supplies though, we’ll have to follow up on that question.)

Jakarta and Meetings

A Journal Entry from our team:
We spent one day in Jakarta having two important meetings, one with The Nature Conservancy (TCN) and one with the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). The RSPO meeting helped us understand more thoroughly the challenges and successes they have experienced. TNC has some interesting projects that are helping with orangutan conservation. We went to a nice mall and it was awesome to see a Baskin Robbins (we are getting a little homesick) which we enjoyed after our Indonesian lunch.

The city of Jakarta has a population of 9.5 million. It is sprawling and huge. The downtown area is modern, the outskirts seem very poverty –stricken. The overcrowding and conditions people are living in is eye-opening. It makes the average American home seem like a palace.



Next we flew to Pontianak and on to our destination of Ketapang. The flight to Ketapang was a little scary. Before we took off 9 people kept trying to fix the plane’s propeller. When they apparently fixed it, the mechanic went on the flight with us, and then he rushed out to examine it when we landed.

Our reason for going to the towns of Ketapang and Sukadana was to spend time with Yayasun Palung, an NGO (non-governmental organization) in west Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Mayi, Tito, Wendi and Wiwid explained to us about the projects they’re working on. We later visited their education center in Sukadana. They show local people some of the unique and special trees and plants found in the rainforest. They have also conducted classes to train local people how to make furniture out of bamboo (see photo below). This is a sustainable way to help them make a living. Yayasun Palung had also set up numerous meetings for us.



We also met with IAR (International Animal Rescue). This organization rescues and rehabilitates all sorts of animals from sun bears and lorises to orangutans. They see the worst of what is happening in Indonesia. The following example was very disturbing for us to see – the reality of what many orangutans are facing. A female orangutan had been wandering around a palm oil plantation (one that is not a member of RSPO) and was attacked by people there. Her hand was sliced with a machete and her baby was taken from her. Two weeks later (about two days before we arrived in Ketapang) she was found wandering again and was beaten by the people. She received a bad wound to the back of her head and was locked in a bathroom. IAR was called to rescue her and unfortunately she died an hour after rescuers arrived. During her necropsy they found that she was a lactating mother, so the search was on to find the baby. A tip came in that the baby was in a private home, so IAR located and confiscated the baby. We briefly saw the infant, he was in critical condition and he may not survive. Below is a photo of him. We hope that he makes it.

Jenny and Mallotus

We would like to introduce you to a couple of the orangutans we had the opportunity to meet on this trip. Jenny is an older Bornean orangutan in the KOCP research site. They are not exactly sure how old she is but they think she may be in her 40s. Her son, Mallotus, is almost five years old and is starting to become more independent, although the researchers/observers told us that he still sleeps in the nest with his mother every night. Jenny has become somewhat habituated over the years and is tolerant of researchers watching her. One day per week (at most) Red Ape Encounters and KOCP bring eco-tourists to the study area so they can have the rare experience of seeing an orangutan the wild. We were lucky enough to see them foraging and moving around the forest. Mallotus drank water out of a tree cavity then played with the water for a while. We were so grateful for this wonderful experience!


Jenny climbing above us.


Jenny’s son, Mallotus, peeking through the trees.

We also experienced interesting forest bridges, leeches (it was a team effort to keep them off of each other, but they’re not as bad as we thought they would be), and saw elephant prints and dung! There were about 100 elephants in this area only 2 weeks ago. It has been quite an adventure and we are learning so much.


Elephant dung with mushrooms and plants growing out of it.

Photos from Sumatra and Malaysia

Our group is having a wonderful time in Sumatra and Malaysia and learning so much, although internet service is limited and receiving these photos has been nothing but a small miracle. Here are some of the pictures we have received so far from their travels and a short message from our team. We hope you enjoy them.

Yay! We love Malaysia so far. Eighth attempt to send photos is a charm. We miss everyone!!!!
-Dina, Mandy & Tracey

Wild Mother Orangutan and Kids in Sumatra

This is the first video our team on the ground in Sumatra sent today. It is a mother orangutan and her two kids. We will continue to keep you updated as we hear from our team on their travels and learn more about the palm oil crisis that threatens these amazing animals.