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

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010:

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Where did orangutans live?

Fossil Orangutan Teeth – Malaysia

Where do orangutans live today?

Bornean orangutan

(Pongo pygmaeus)

Sumatran orangutan

(Pongo abelii)

Sumatran & Bornean orangutans

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Adult female Sumatran orangutan

Adult female Bornean

orangutan

Adult “un-flanged”

male Bornean

orangutan

Sumatran & Bornean orangutans

Adult “un-flanged”

male Sumatran orangutan

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Adult “flanged”

male Bornean

orangutan

Sumatran & Bornean orangutans

Adult “flanged”

male Sumatran orangutan

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Sumatran orangutan habitat

Wic

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2011

: 20

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Wic

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2011

: 20

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LEUSER ECOSYSTEM -  Houses 90% of

Sumatran orangutans

-  National

Strategic Area

Wic

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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?

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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?

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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

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Seed Extraction – Neesia Fruits

Access Tree Holes – Honey Extraction

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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?

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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: dellatore@gmail.com

SOCP Website: www.sumatranorangutan.org

SOCP Facebook: www.facebook.com/sumatranorangutan SOCP Twitter: SOCP_tweets

Thank you very much