Orangutan Conservation Research Articles

Potential application of batang garing cultural values of Dayak tribe in orangutan conservation

Background: This is intended to describe the Batang Garing symbol of the Dayak Ngaju tribe in Central Kalimantan as a container for preservation. From the previous study mentioned about Batang garing arise environmental consciousness, and this study attempts to identify the cultural values of the Batang Garing tribe in the life of the Dayak tribe and to seek opportunities to apply the cultural values of the Batang Garing Dayak tribe in orangutan conservation. Methods: This study using qualitative techniques is used to measure rehabilitation and assess the contribution of rehabilitation to conservation. Findings: It can be concluded that the Batang Garing concept is in harmony with the idea of orangutan conservation. The construction of meaning that is carried out provides space for collaboration between local values and modern values in the conservation agenda, it is hoped that this alignment will facilitate the involvement of indigenous peoples in harmony with orangutan conservation so that they play an active role in conservation because there are several overlapping values. Conclusion: The constructs provided are expected to be useful in forming universal knowledge/which can be understood by the wider community, including policy makers, namely the Government, as well as policy observers, both academics and practitioners regarding the agenda of forest conservation. Novelty/Originality of this Study: The novelty of this study lies in its exploration of the potential application of the Dayak Tribe's Batang Garing cultural values in orangutan conservation. This research uniquely combines indigenous wisdom with modern conservation efforts, aiming to foster community involvement and promote sustainable natural resource management.

Beyond Boundary: Challenging ecotourism in Indonesian wildlife reserves for the new future of orangutan conservation

Beyond Boundary: Challenging ecotourism in Indonesian wildlife reserves for the new future of orangutan conservation

Workforce Motivation at Malaysian Orangutan Conservation Centres

Most conservation research and efforts focus on a targeted animal taxon and we often tend to forget about the human component in conservation work. It is often alleged that conservation work is in itself rewarding, rather than motivated by monetary gain. However, this remains anecdotal, and this study approaches this topic through qualitative analysis of the motivation of the workforce in orangutan conservation. The objective of this paper was to assess the driving motivations for conservation workers at three Malaysian ex-situ conservation facilities for orangutans. Using structured interviews and a thematic approach, we classified five main types of motivation amongst the workers. The “Environment/Surrounding” factor describing positive team work experiences emerged as the primary motivator for conducting this job, whereas “Monetary” and “Conservation” were similarly often mentioned as the second motivators. “Personal Development” and “Humanistic” factors were the third and least mentioned motivators, respectively. Our results indicate the importance of providing and maintaining a good work environment and relationship with co-workers, as well as adequate salaries to motivate the conservation workforce. The findings from this study could help the management of any conservation areas/centers to effectively manage and encourage their workforce towards a better care of captive animals

To live and die in an age of extinction: a conversation with Juno Salazar Parreñas

ABSTRACT This article is a conversation between Marie-Thérèse Talensby, a doctoral student with the Extinction Studies doctoral training programme at the University of Leeds, and Dr Juno Salazar Parreñas, Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies and Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Cornell University. Talking over Skype in July 2023, Dr Parreñas reflects on her current research, exploring the death of a tropical polar bear in Singapore Zoo, her work on Orangutan conservation, and the violence inherent in many methods of animal conservation. In doing so, she highlights the entanglements of human and more-than-human lives in what is being described by scientists and conservation organisations as the sixth mass extinction event. Weaving throughout the conversation are more personal reflections on loss and grief, vicarious trauma, and the transformative potential in moments of decolonisation. This article offers a rich reflection on the experience and impact of researching death and loss, encompassing themes of positionality, boundaries, and the broader socio-cultural context of fieldwork encounters, topics highly relevant to Mortality readers.

Conflict Mitigation Practices and Conservation Awareness of Orangutans: A Case Study from Tangkahan Ecotourism, Leuser Ecosystem, Indonesia

Killing orangutans in human-orangutan conflicts threatens their populations. Individuals with high conservation awareness tend to tolerate orangutans' crop foraging. In our study in Tangkahan ecotourism, Leuser Ecosystem, Indonesia, we examined local community mitigation methods and their understanding of orangutan conservation. We utilized a convenience sampling method for this study, primarily serving as a pilot study to test the questionnaire we had designed. This questionnaire consisted of open-ended questions used in semi-structured interviews. We conducted interviews with 16 respondents, all of whom willingly participated and allowed us to record their responses. Our findings revealed that the most commonly employed mitigation methods by the local community were the use of firecrackers and traditional crop guarding. Notably, these methods were non-lethal in nature, which aligns with the respondents' overall conservation awareness. All participants demonstrated knowledge of the protected status of orangutans, and some provided further insights into their rarity, endangerment, population decline, habitat degradation, and endemism. Their positive attitude likely stems from the impact of ecotourism.

Killing of orangutans in Kalimantan ‐ Community perspectives on incidence and drivers

AbstractDespite decades of conservation management, many orangutan populations are on the brink of extinction. This is primarily due to habitat loss and direct killings. A study from 2008/2009 suggested that killing was impacting orangutan populations at a rate sufficient to cause local extinctions. As an illegal and taboo behavior that is difficult to measure, killing has been severely understudied since. We conducted 431 interviews in 79 villages across Kalimantan in 2020/2021. Ours is the first quantitative field study in more than 10 years to assess the state of killing of orangutans. We aimed to: (1) assess the current state of killing of orangutans in Kalimantan and compare this to the previous study; (2) determine whether conservation projects are affecting killing; and (3) explore drivers of killing. We examined killing of orangutans across villages with forest conservation projects, orangutan conservation projects, and no conservation projects. We assessed the existence of killing and used scenarios to examine perceived norms about illegal behavior relating to orangutans. We then used matching techniques to assess whether projects have any impact on these indicators. Overall, our findings suggest that killing has occurred in recent times, and our data does not indicate a clear attenuation of the behavior. As such, we argue that killing may still present a substantial threat to Bornean orangutan populations. We also found no statistically significant evidence that conservation projects are reducing killing. Conservation project managers could seek to understand the drivers of killing, and to invest in interventions that address these drivers. Research suggests that current allocation of conservation funding has been ineffective at abating orangutan population decline. We argue that a key part of improving Bornean orangutan conservation practice involves directly addressing killing of orangutans and the underlying drivers of killing.

Public opinion on protecting iconic species depends on individual wellbeing: Perceptions about orangutan conservation in Indonesia and Malaysia

Public opinion has the potential to shape conservation policy-making and implementation. At a local scale, it is argued that human wellbeing is important for conservation success. However, little research has explored how social factors like wellbeing shape public opinion at cross-national scales. Here, we focus on orangutan conservation, where an iconic species near extinction exists amidst complex social issues. We surveyed 2073 Indonesian and Malaysian residents and assessed three indicators of conservation support: policy support, willingness to act for the environment, and willingness to act for orangutans. We then examined how diverse indicators of wellbeing shaped support for orangutan conservation. Our results show that diverse indicators of wellbeing are related to public opinions supportive of conservation in Indonesian and Malaysian citizens. Consistent with our hypotheses, both physical (having basic needs met) and psychological (being free from worry, feeling safe, a sense of agency) wellbeing were positively associated with all three indicators of conservation support. Contrary to common assumptions, not all wellbeing indicators were related to conservation support; we found no evidence that subjective health was positively associated with conservation support. Overall, these findings indicate that social factors such as wellbeing might have an important influence on public opinion about conservation issues, and subsequently, environmental policy-making. Our findings highlight the complexity of the relationship between wellbeing and public opinion, alongside the need to consider multi-dimensional aspects of wellbeing across diverse social and geographic settings.

Maxent model application for conflict mitigation of Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) in oil palm plantation

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) is a flagship species and is protected by the Government of Indonesia and the global community. Orangutan habitat is in a tropical rainforest ecosystem. Orangutan exists in conservation area and development area (outside conservation). Development activities, such as oil palm plantations, cause fragmentation of orangutan habitat and triggers conflicts with humans. This study aims to map the suitability class of orangutan habitat and areas with potential conflicts around oil palm plantations and determine mitigation measures. The study site is located in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, consisting of forested areas and areas for development. This study uses the Maximum Entrophy (MaxEnt) model, which can simulate the probability of orangutans’ presence based on influencing environmental variables. Primary data is from 2019 – 2020 survey, and secondary data is collected from various sources. The study area is divided into three classes of orangutan habitat suitability: high, medium, and low. The dominant environmental variables in determining suitability classes are land use and land cover. The high and medium habitat suitability classes are mostly located in forested areas. The suitable habitat for orangutans in the study area is fragmented by community cultivation areas and oil palm plantations. Oil palm plantations are the variable with the highest contribution to the mapping of potential conflict vulnerabilities. The mitigation zone in the study area is divided into four zones. Zones 1, 2, and 3 can be linked by developing an orangutan corridor to connect with the nearby orangutan habitat in Gunung Palung National Park. Zone-1 is a Gunung Tarak Protected Forest, a buffer forest area for the Gunung Palung National Park. Zone-1 is the core orangutan conservation zone in the study area. This study suggests that oil palm companies in zones 1, 2, and 3 prioritize mitigation measures with passive preventive actions, while those in zone 4 can take active preventive mitigation actions.

Role of the Orangutan Information Centre in Orangutan Conservation in Gunung Leuser National Park Through the Collaborative Management Plan-Small Grants Program

The habitat of the Sumatran orangutan in the Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP) area is under threat, due to illegal logging activities, construction of facilities and infrastructure, and encroachment on boundaries. In an effort to overcome this problem, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) in collaboration with the Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (Kfw) created the Small Grants Program (SGP). SGP aims to support the efforts of the ASEAN Heritage Park (AHP) in protecting biodiversity, one of which is the orangutan. TNGL as AHP has been selected to run SGP in Indonesia and the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) has been selected as a partner to run the SGP cycle one and cycle two at TNGL. OIC as a non-governmental organization (NGO) is taking part in orangutan conservation efforts in Gunung Leuser National Park through the Small Grants Program of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity. The research method used is qualitative using descriptive analysis research types and utilizing interview data with the Orangutan Information Center and observations of the Gunung Leuser National Park. The concept of the role of non-governmental organizations according to Lewis and Kanji is used to answer the research problem formulation. In the SGP ACB project, OIC plays the role of implementer by carrying out activities, namely restoring the Induk Barak area, compiling technical guidelines for orangutan protection and mitigation strategies on the Karo Langkat road, conducting surveys of orangutan population density on the Karo Langkat road and Halaban restoration. As a catalyst OIC carried out activities namely facilitating restoration training for the Barak Induk community group, advocating for the government for the protection and mitigation of orangutans on the Karo Langkat road, conducting permaculture activities in (Halaban village, Telagah village and Bukit Mas village). As a partnership, OIC carries out activities, namely working with the Barak Induk community to restore the Barak Induk area, working with the government to conduct a population density survey of orangutans on the Karo Langkat and Halaban roads.

Bornean orangutanPongo pygmaeus pygmaeuspopulation estimate within and around Danau Sentarum National Park, Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan

AbstractOf the three subspecies of Critically Endangered Bornean orangutans,Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeushas the smallest population size. One of its most important habitats is the tropical forest within and around Danau Sentarum National Park (DSNP). Research in the late 1990s estimated that ca. 1025 orangutans inhabited DSNP, while ca. 1717 orangutans inhabited the forest beyond DSNP's boundaries. However, concerns were later raised that incorrectly estimated nest decay rates (tvalues) may have led to the overestimation of the population size. Furthermore, the area experienced forest degradation and land use change between 2000 and 2013. Given these changing landscapes, updated population estimates were needed to inform policy makers and land‐use planners on the implications of habitat loss for resident orangutans. We conducted this study to recalculate nest decay rates based on current recommended methods, and to update our knowledge on the orangutan population in the region. Our average nest decay rate was 288.3 days; applying this to the study in the late 1990s generated estimates of 807 individuals within DSNP and 1578 beyond DNSP's boundaries. New surveys of the transects undertaken between 2010 and 2014 revealed that the population size had declined substantially in these two areas, to 202 and 71 individuals respectively. Both declines are considerable, but larger losses occurred in logged‐over and cleared forests outside the park. We discuss factors potentially driving these declines, emphasizing the need to improve habitat protection both inside and outside of DSNP, and make recommendations for improving the prospects for future orangutan conservation.

Daily behavioral research on Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) mothers and offsprings at Suaq Balimbing Research Station, Gunung Leuser National Park, Aceh Province, Indonesia

Abstract. Sutekad D, Jannah M, Fitri L, Fauziah F. 2022. Daily behavioral research on Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) mothers and offsprings at Suaq Balimbing Research Station, Gunung Leuser National Park, Aceh Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 23: 5108-5121. Discovering the daily behavior of female orangutan mothers and their offspring can provide information for use as a recent reference in orangutan conservation action plans. This research aims to determine the daily behavioral patterns of mother and offspring Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) at the Suaq Balimbing research station. This study was conducted between June 2019 and March 2020 and used focal animal sampling as the method. The method used consists of searching and daily behavioral logging. The results of the research showed that six orangutan mothers and offsprings (three mother-offspring pairs) showed different behavioral patterns. The distinction was felt in the distribution of time spent on activities. Eating, moving, resting, nesting, and social activity are all part of an orangutan's daily behavior. The proportion of time allocation used in the daily activities of female mother and Sumatran orangutan pairs (Pongo abelii) that is successfully observed in the Suaq Balimbing research station are eating (68.79%), resting (11.59%), moving (11.02%), nesting (1.11%), others (5.04%) and unknown (2.45%). Orangutans' diet plants in Suaq Balimbing consist of 30 species from 25 families, including the liana diet, plants consumed with the seeds, and plants consumed by the bark. According to the findings of this study, the behavior of a mother Sumatran orangutan, while it is with its offspring can be described.

Orangutan Ecotourism on Sumatra Island: Current Conditions and a Call for Further Development

This paper aimed to provide a narrative review of the current conditions of orangutan ecotourism on Sumatra Island, problems in the current management systems, and some recommendations for further development. Orangutan conservation centers have been developed on Sumatra Island since 1973. The Bukit Lawang Conservation Station is one of the orangutan conservation centers that have practiced ecotourism to overcome ecological and socio-economic issues. Even though the Bukit Lawang Conservation Station has operated for decades, this station has faced several issues, in particular a monetary crisis in 1997, a flash flood in 2003, and the COVID-19 pandemic. We identified that orangutan conservation centers on Sumatra Island have the potential to support orangutan ecotourism. These conservation centers have ecological support, available facilities, and rich local wisdom that can provide added value for orangutan ecotourism. Therefore, we propose that the development of orangutan ecotourism on Sumatra Island should accommodate surrounding communities through community-based wildlife ecotourism. We also recommend the following strategies to develop orangutan ecotourism on Sumatra Island: (1) mapping the location and distribution of wild orangutans in their natural habitats; (2) managing captive and semi-captive orangutans in conservation centers; (3) provision of tour packages; (4) community empowerment; (5) institutional strengthening of community-based ecotourism management (CBEM); (6) developing ecotourism through a benefit-sharing model; (7) anticipating and minimizing the negative impacts of ecotourism on orangutans; and (8) integrating orangutan tourism with local wisdom.

Literature Analysis on the Bornean Orangutan (Pongo Pygmaeus) Conservation Ecotourism in Tanjung Puting National Park, Waringin Barat City, Central Kalimantan

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyze the development of orangutans conservation ecotourism in Tanjung Puting National Park based on previous studies.
 Research Methods: The methodology used in this study is a literature review approach. Data collection was carried out by collecting data and information in the form of related journals from previous research.
 Results and Discussion: Synchronization and collaboration between stakeholders is important in improving the management of TPNP and implementing policies so that they are effective and optimal
 Implication: The dynamics of orangutan conservation are not being implemented according to their natural habitat.
 
 Keywords: ecotourism, conservation, Bornean orangutan (pongo pygmaeus).

The Contingent Valuation Method contributes solutions for wildlife conservation: A case study at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Borneo, Malaysia.

Deforestation is an alarming issue that is prolific throughout world forests. Endemic fauna, flora, and wildlife habitat loss are serious concerns for world heritage. That is why Goal 15 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promotes the conserved use of these natural resources. Sabah, Malaysia is fortunate to have "Orang Hutan" literally "Jungle People" in the Sepilok Forest area. The government had designated the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre as their safeguard. Indeed, this is the world's first Rehabilitation Centre for Orangutans. However, the wildlife conservation of Orangutans needs to be translated into economic values. This study aims to determine the economic valuation of wildlife conservation through visitors' Willingness to Pay (WTP) via applying the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM). A total of 143 questionnaires were distributed randomly to international and local visitors. The Logistic Regression was used to estimate the Mean WTP. Results showed that several significant sociodemographic variables influence the respondents' WTP. Nevertheless, most respondents were willing to pay a maximum of MYR16.73, while the mean was MYR7.27 only. In 2017, the estimated annual economic value of the Rehabilitation Centre was MYR9, 697 074.96 compared to the estimated conservation value of MYR96, 970 749.60. The findings of this study demonstrate the possible beneficial role of economic valuation in assisting not just Orangutan conservation but threatened species conservation elsewhere. The study has assisted the Centre's management in determining the appropriate entrance fees for the future, as they have not been revised in over a decade. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1174-1186. © 2022 SETAC.

Effectiveness of 20 years of conservation investments in protecting orangutans

Conservation strategies are rarely systematically evaluated, which reduces transparency, hinders the cost-effective deployment of resources, and hides what works best in different contexts. Using data on the iconic and critically endangered orangutan (Pongo spp.), we developed a novel spatiotemporal framework for evaluating conservation investments. We show that around USD 1 billion was invested between 2000 and 2019 into orangutan conservation by governments, nongovernmental organizations, companies, and communities. Broken down by allocation to different conservation strategies, we find that habitat protection, patrolling, and public outreach had the greatest return on investment for maintaining orangutan populations. Given the variability in threats, land-use opportunity costs, and baseline remunerations in different regions, there were differential benefits per dollar invested across conservation activities and regions. We show that although challenging from a data and analysis perspective, it is possible to fully understand the relationships between conservation investments and outcomes and the external factors that influence these outcomes. Such analyses can provide improved guidance toward a more effective biodiversity conservation. Insights into the spatiotemporal interplays between the costs and benefits driving effectiveness can inform decisions about the most suitable orangutan conservation strategies for halting population declines. Although our study focuses on the three extant orangutan species of Sumatra and Borneo, our findings have broad application for evidence-based conservation science and practice worldwide.

Women Empowerment on the Orangutan Conservation in Tembak Hamlet, Gurung Mali Village, Sintang Regency, West Kalimantan

Tembak Hamlet is the first orangutan school area built by the Sintang Orangutan Center (SOC). One of the programs is empowering women to make orangutan dolls. Part of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the operational activities of the orangutan school. The SOC is aware that socio-cultural and economic aspects significantly influence the successful implementation of the orangutan school program. This study was analyzed using the empowerment ladder concept and Symbolic Interactionism Theory. This study aimed to analyze the empowerment of women in Tembak Hamlet and its socio-economic impacts. The research uses a qualitative method. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. Respondents in this research consist of 6 purposively determined people. This analysis is expected to be a reference material for orangutan conservation organizations in other places to pay more attention to the socio-cultural and economic aspects of the community. The results showed that the process in the empowerment stage formed the meaning of orangutan conservation in the women of the orangutan doll-making group. Women use orangutan dolls as a symbol of women's contribution to protecting customary forests and orangutans.

Visitor’s Perception About Orangutan Conservation In Indonesian Zoos

Zoos have four main roles namely conservation, research, education and recreation. Whether the existence of the zoo has succeeded in increasing or at least influencing people's perceptions of animal conservation should be investigated further. The research aimed to assess the image of the zoos and perception of the visitors about orangutan conservation. This study applied the questionnaire and methods to Indonesia zoo's, and examines the effect of the zoo at changing visitor's conservation awareness. The result showed that there were no significant difference acros the sites and between arrival dan departures. This could be caused by many reasons, for example the short visit time, minimal information obtained during the visit or the background of the visitors themselves.

“Only the orangutans get a life jacket”

ABSTRACTIn an era of mass extinction, who gets a life jacket, who is left to drown or swim—and on what basis? This article addresses these questions by analyzing how tropes and practices of responsibility are variously enacted, reworked, contested, and refused across the global nexus of orangutan conservation. Drawing on multisited, collaborative ethnography, we trace the mutually constitutive relation between multiple orangutan figures and commons imaginaries at different nodes of conservation—from environmental activism in the Global North to NGO‐villager encounters in rural Borneo. In so doing, we “uncommon” international conservation's encompassing planetary imaginaries, showing how dominant portrayals of the orangutan as a global responsibility are translated and fragmented in different settings. We further contemplate what an analytic of responsibility might bring to ongoing discussions about the “commoning” planetary epoch in which conservation is increasingly embedded: the Anthropocene. [commons, uncommoning, responsibility, orangutan conservation, the Anthropocene, Borneo, Indonesia]

Building better conservation media for primates and people: A case study of orangutan rescue and rehabilitation YouTube videos

Abstract Conservation organizations rely on social/internet media platforms to raise awareness and fundraise. Social media is a double‐edged sword: it can be a wide‐reaching and effective tool for education and fundraising, but can also have counterproductive impacts on public views towards wildlife and understanding of wildlife conservation. For example, depicting humans interacting with wildlife in media may increase video popularity, but animals shown in anthropogenic contexts are also viewed as appealing pets. We are interested in understanding whether this is true for social media posts (YouTube videos) by orangutan rescue and rehabilitation organizations, which rely on social media for fundraising and awareness raising. Our goal is to provide data and recommendations to guide these organizations in building media with positive conservation impact while minimizing potential negative effects. Using YouTube analytics and sentiment analysis of comments on 117 videos, we ask how viewer responses to videos vary with (a) the amount of human–orangutan interaction depicted, (b) the ages of the orangutans featured and (c) the mention of threats to orangutans. Videos with longer human–orangutan interaction time were viewed more, but comments on them were significantly more likely to be negative towards Indonesian/Malaysian people. Comments on orangutan rescue/rehabilitation videos were more likely to be categorized as negative for orangutan conservation compared to videos about orangutans generally, and within these, so were comments on videos featuring infant and juvenile orangutans. Based on our findings, we recommend that orangutan rescue and rehabilitation organizations feature adult and mixed age groups of orangutans rather than infants and juveniles, minimize the amount of human–orangutan interaction shown and talk about conservation threats to orangutans in their videos. We also recommend that, as a precaution, other primate rescue and rehabilitation groups also abide by these suggestions. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Feeding extinction: navigating the metonyms and misanthropy of palm oil boycotts

Among UK-based orangutan conservation supporters, palm oil consumption boycotts are widespread, due to the ecological impacts of oil palm cultivation on orangutan habitat. Yet these boycotts are largely at odds with the stances of orangutan charities. Drawing on interviews with orangutan supporters, this article explores why some Global North consumers are so consumed by palm oil. Palm oil is viewed by orangutan supporters as insidious, invasive and cheap, and forces a bodily complicity with orangutan suffering. It is mobilized as a metonym for human greed and capitalist destruction. This metonymic relationship mirrors broader Anthropocentric framings of human-nature relations, which emphasize humanity as a universal actor. Yet the practices of 'species guilt' associated with these framings largely mitigate against a decolonizing model of conservation, as they have the potential to deny agency to workers and villagers enmeshed within the oil palm economy. Despite these unpromising circumstances, this article explores the unintended value of palm oil boycotts in terms of agency and ecological consciousness and addresses the potential to align such boycotts with a decolonial analysis, through centering the human dimensions of orangutan conservation.