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Orangutan conservation in Sumatra David Dellatore Programme Manager PanEco-SOCP A collaboration between:
Orangutan conservation
in Sumatra
David Dellatore Programme Manager
PanEco-SOCP
A collaboration between:
What is an orangutan?
Primate Mitred leaf monkey
Orangutan
Pig-tailed macaque Long-tailed macaque
Slow loris
Siamang
Agile gibbon
Humans & great apes very similar
Orangutan Chimpanzee Gorilla Human
Part of our taxonomic family H
arris
on 2
010:
532
Where did orangutans live?
Fossil Orangutan Teeth – Malaysia
Where do orangutans live today?
Bornean orangutan
(Pongo pygmaeus)
Sumatran orangutan
(Pongo abelii)
Sumatran & Bornean orangutans
© K
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om
/Tu
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an
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SF/2
003
© J
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nk/
Keta
mb
e/1
995
Adult female Sumatran orangutan
Adult female Bornean
orangutan
Adult “un-flanged”
male Bornean
orangutan
Sumatran & Bornean orangutans
Adult “un-flanged”
male Sumatran orangutan
© C
arol
ine
Sch
uppl
i
©A
rkiv
e, J
urge
n Fr
eund
/nat
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l.com
Adult “flanged”
male Bornean
orangutan
Sumatran & Bornean orangutans
Adult “flanged”
male Sumatran orangutan
©A
nton
io A
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ndre
Sumatran orangutan habitat
Wic
h et
al.
2011
: 20
& 2
6
Wic
h et
al.
2011
: 20
& 2
6
LEUSER ECOSYSTEM - Houses 90% of
Sumatran orangutans
- National
Strategic Area
Wic
h et
al.
2011
Unique endemic ‘Megafauna’ of Sumatra All 4 found together ONLY in the Leuser Ecosystem
One of the world’s most exceptionally irreplaceable PAs - Le Saout et al. 2013 - Science
Unique orangutan population – possibly the
ancestral population of all
those further north in Sumatra…
and all those in Borneo
Batang Toru
What do Sumatran orangutans do all day?
© R
aque
l Vic
ente
Feeding: ~54% active time
Resting: ~30% active time
±06:30 ±17:30
~11-12 active hours
Travel: ~14% active time
Morrogh-Bernard et al. 2009
Orangutans build nests
What do Sumatran orangutans eat?
©C
arol
ine
Sch
uppl
i
Fruits: ~69% total diet
Leaves: ~12% total diet
Insects: ~10% total diet
Flowers: ~5% total diet Tree Bark: ~2% total diet
Known to eat up to 500 types of food items
Morrogh-Bernard et al. 2009; Russon et al. 2009
Sumatran orangutans use tools to feed
©C
arol
ine
Sch
uppl
i
Seed Extraction – Neesia Fruits
Access Tree Holes – Honey Extraction
©C
arol
ine
Sch
uppl
i
Orangutans are semi-solitary
Orangutans have very large home ranges
Female Home Range Size: 150 - >850 ha
Male Home Range Size: 850 - >2,500 ha
Singleton & van Schaik 2001; Singleton et al. 2009; Utami-Atmoko et al. 2009
Female Home Ranges – Suaq Balimbing
Orangutans have slow reproductive rates
Species
Age First Reproduction
(mean & range, years)
Inter-Birth Interval (mean & range,
years)
Gorillas 10.1 4.3 (3.9-4.6)
Chimpanzees
13.5 (10.9-15.4) 5.6 (4.6-6.2)
Orangutans 15.6 (15.4-15.7) 7.7 (6.1-9.3)
Humans 19.5 (19.5-20.5) 3.1
Knott 2001, Hill et al. 2001, Nishida et al. 2003, Wich et al. 2004,2009; Knott et al. 2009
How do we know all of this?
©S
uges
ti
SOCP ‘island’ wide orangutan surveys (2009-2012)
Long-term Monitoring & Research in Sumatra
Ketambe: 1972
Suaq Balimbing: 1993
Batang Toru: 2006
Sikundur: 2013
Ketambe Monitoring Post
Ketambe Monitoring Post
Suaq Balimbing Monitoring Post
Batang Toru Monitoring Post
Sikundur Monitoring Post
Current Sumatran orangutan Abundance Estimates
14,665 orangutans -LCI: 14,577 ind. -UCI: 14,749 ind.
(Wich et al. 2016)
IUCN Red List:
Critically Endangered
Top 25 World’s
Most Endangered Primates
Current & Future Threats
Sumatran orangutan Abundance After Potential Forest Losses
Current Population: 2012 Predicted Population: 2030
(Wich et al. 2016)
67% of Current Population 14,665 Ind.
Orangutans are lowland animals, but unfortunately most of northern Sumatra’s
remaining forests are high altitude…
DEFORESTATION ACROSS SUMATRA 1985-2014
Forest cover reduced by 55%
Monoculture palm oil – Landscape scale
Palm oil & Sumatran orangutan distribution
Wic
h et
al.
2011
Clearing & Burning : Virtually NOTHING survives the conversion process
Burning at LARGE SCALE-landscape level
Tripa Peat Swamps: Hotspots 2001 to 2012
So…….do the orangutans simply move into other areas, like in the movies?
Those caught in the process often die, with some deliberately killed or by malnutrition/ starvation
Results indicate areas lost to development not reclaimed
…SO WHAT IS SOCP DOING TO PROTECT SUMATRAN ORANGUTANS
& THEIR REMAINING HABITAT?
SOCP Activities: 1. Confiscation,
rehabilitation, & reintroduction
2. Research, monitoring, & survey
3. Habitat Conservation
4. Education
SOCP Project Locations
“Refugees” from forests that no longer exist
Illegal pets are largely a by-product of habitat conversion – the LUCKY
survivors!
The level of violence needed to capture an adult orangutan without use of anesthetic is almost unimaginable
SOCP increasingly forced to “rescue” wild orangutans from fragmented forest and agroforest areas
orangutan
GAPKI Chairman is Director of this & another company nearby Aceh Tamiang, PT Bahruny
Difficult, expensive, and HIGH
RISK for orangutans
!
All new arrivals have to pass a quarantine period of at least 1 month
Medical Clinic
Infant Facility
Isolation Cages
Socialisation cages
On site x-rays Tattoo
Blood samples
!
Medical checks & treatment
…occasionally we confiscate other wildlife species too
Numbers of orangutans entering SOCP each year
Total: 349 Average: 23 ind./year Range: 9-36 ind./year No sign of stoppage Probably even higher than 1970s 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
SOCP Quarantine Intakes
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Cap+veorangutan‘owner’occupa+on
Trader imprisoned for 8 months, with a 7 million rupiah fine First case EVER in Sumatra, Feb. 2012… Law enforcement must be HIGH priority.
Major Lack of Law Enforcement
Julius
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE QUARANTINE PROCESS?
Jambi Reintroduction Centre New wild populations established
Reintroduction of orangutans also helps conserve the habitat, important also for tigers, elephants, and many
other species
JANTHO REINTRODUCTION STATION
ORANGUTAN RELEASE FACILITES
ORANGUTAN CONSERVATION & THE USE OF NEWER TECHNOLOGIES
VHF Implant telemetry – new technology for locating and monitoring health status and adaptation levels of released
orangutans
However, there are still problems…
• Can drones help monitor released orangutans (e.g., telemetry chips)?
• Drones help to survey remaining
orangutan populations • Drones help to detect illegal activities
in orangutan habitat
Quick look River survey
Map an area Patrol forest boundary
Photo mosaics for land use
(Landsat8 imagery: 15-30m/pixel)
Photo mosaics for land use
(Landsat8 imagery: 15-30m/pixel; Drone imagery: ~2cm/pixel)
Before – November 2013 After – May 2014
Habitat Monitoring
Orangutan nests
FUTURE PROSPECTS…ORANGUTAN HABITAT NOW MORE THREATENED
THAN EVER BEFORE?!?!
Action Plan?
The Aceh Spatial Plan problem…
New spatial plan will ‘legalise’ many new roads ….many of which already cut despite being illegal
Unique endemic ‘Megafauna’ of Sumatra All 4 found together ONLY in the Leuser Ecosystem
Bukit Lawang, Sumut 2003
Tamiang, Aceh 2006
Tangse, Aceh 2012
Not only wildlife that loses out due to poor planning decisions
What to do???
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, for indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has!”
Margaret Mead
Court grants Walhi appeal, cancels plantation permit in Aceh Sita W. Dewi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Archipelago | Wed, September 05 2012
REDD+ Task Force Hails Medan Court Decision on Rawa Tripa Case. Jakarta, September 6, 2012
Walhi Scores Big Win Over Illegal Permit Fidelis E. Satriastanti | September 06, 2012
Decision appealed by PT Kallista Alam to Supreme Court in Jakarta but appeal denied : April 25th 2013
SUCCESS
Blocking drainage canals in ex-PT Kallista Alam with full backing of provincial forest department
1,400 hectares set aside as protected area
1. CIVIL Case : MoE v PT Kallista Alam. February 2014, Decision in favour of MoE – Kallista Alam ordered to pay USD 26 million 2. CRIMINAL Case : against PT Kallista Alam. July 15th 2014 3. CIVIL Case : MoE v PT SPS2 in Jakarta. In process/pending 4. CRIMINAL Case : against PT SPS2. Awaiting next step from High Court 5. CRIMINAL Case : against PT DPL. In process/pending 6. CRIMINAL Case : against PT GSM. Awaiting coordination with POLDA Aceh 7. CRIMINAL Case : against PT CA. Pending awaiting input from Local Government
CASES AGAINST COMPANIES
15 JULY 2014…PT. Kallista Alam fined and imprisoned! Criminal case 132/Pid.B/2013/PN MBO against PT Kalista Alam Director, Subianto Rusyid : • 8 months prison & USD 12,000 fine Development Manager PT Kallista Alam, Khamidin Yoesoef : • 3 years prison &USD 250,000 fine
Chief Judge, Arman Surya Putra SH Director PT. Kallista Alam, Subianto Rusyid
After 8 years of lobbying by the SOCP, in 2014 the Minister of Forestry issued a new forest allocation map - 86% of Batang Toru forests now classified as Protected – up from 20%!!!
Unfortunately there continues to be new intakes to quarantine…
…but orangutans are incredibly resilient, and given the chance
they can again live free in the forest
Since 2003, 164 released in Jambi; and from 2011, 99 orangutans released into Jantho…
on the way to creating new viable populations in highly protected forest areas
What about orangutans that cannot be released to the wild?
LEUSER
TILA
The SOCP Orangutan Haven will provide a new home for un-releasable orangutans and so much more.
48ha secured – now in development 1. Orangutan Islands – long term care 2. Education Centre 3. Ecology Centre 4. Green Technology Park 5. Organic agriculture training 6. Species conservation projects
Otak Pelaku Perdagangan Satwa Ilegal Divonis 2 Tahun July 9, 2015 Ayat S Karokaro, Medan mongabay.co.id
LEGAL VICTORY in orangutan “Cita Ria” case! The strongest sentence yet handed out against OU pet trade!
Analisa newspaper: 10July2015
MONGABAY.CO.ID
We CAN make a difference....
We CAN make a difference....
We CAN make a difference....
Email: [email protected]
SOCP Website: www.sumatranorangutan.org
SOCP Facebook: www.facebook.com/sumatranorangutan SOCP Twitter: SOCP_tweets
Thank you very much
