87 Thousand Hectares Prepared for Orangutan Preservation Area in East Kalimantan

Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni has prepared a preservation area spanning 87,000 hectares for orangutans in East Kalimantan as part of efforts to strengthen the protection of the endemic Indonesian species’ habitat. “This has been a long process, and I have conveyed that this multi-stakeholder preservation area covers 87,000 hectares,” Raja Juli said in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday (13/7). He added that the Ministry of Forestry will soon issue a letter of support for the conservation efforts initiated jointly with various parties, as well as prepare a Decree on the Establishment of an Integrated Orangutan Conservation Working Group for the Keraitan Landscape. The minister assessed that the entire process has been lengthy and is now in its final administrative stages. “So now it is in the final stage. I will issue a letter of support for orangutan conservation efforts and habitat protection by the Conservation Action Network (CAN), followed by the Decree on the Establishment of the Integrated Orangutan Conservation Working Group for the Keraitan Landscape. God willing, this will be completed in the next one or two days,” he said. According to Raja Antoni, the establishment of the preservation area is an important step to strengthen orangutan habitat protection through collaboration between the government, conservation organisations, and business permit holders in the area. The preservation area will serve as a wildlife corridor connecting orangutan habitats within the Keraitan Landscape. “So that what we have been seeing, orangutans displaced in mining areas, including baby orangutans, can be saved more effectively by establishing a preservation area as proposed by our colleagues,” he said. He also confirmed that he is closely monitoring the development of this preservation area with the Conservation Action Network (CAN), which is working on the ground. “CAN explained that all companies in the area have reportedly declared their commitment and signed agreements to support the establishment of the preservation area,” said Raja Antoni. “It is hoped that this will be able to maintain the habitat while accelerating the rescue of orangutans affected by the loss of their living space,” he added.