Journey to save South Kalimantan orangutan quite long: SBI

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Chairperson of the Sahabat Bekantan Indonesia Foundation (SBI) Amalia Rezeki said the journey to save the population and habitat of South Kalimantan orangutan is quite long.

"We discovered the presence of South Kalimantan orangutan in the Haur Gading Sub-district in 2011, then we reported it to the South Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) in 2014. As well as asking permission to conduct further research, after several times going to the field accompanied by a team from Britain, Canada, America, and Australia," she noted in a press statement, Friday.

She was grateful that the discovery of orangutan received a positive response from the provincial government of South Kalimantan.

"Our team immediately met Governor H. Sahbirin Noor to ask for protection of the population and habitat of South Kalimantan orangutan in the remaining location," she said.

Previously, the distribution of orangutan population and habitat was declared scientifically not exist. As a form of concern, the Governor issued on August 23, 2017 a decree No. 188.44/0400/KUM/2017 concerning the formation of the South Kalimantan orangutan and bekantan conservation team.

Amalia Rezeki, who is also a biology lecturer at the University of Lambung Mangkurat (ULM), explained that the finding of South Kalimantan orangutan was also reported to Ir.Wiratno, director-general of Ecosystem Natural Resources Conservation (KSDAE) of the Ministry of Forestry and Environment in Socialization and Talkshow on Indonesian Orangutan Conservation August 22, 2017 at Manggala Wanabakti Building, Jakarta.

On 12-13 November 2017 the Central Kalimantan Orangutan Conservation Regional Meeting was held. Here, the South Kalimantan Orangutan team entered the Central Kalimantan OrangutanForum (Forkah), a communication forum for orangutan protection in Kalimantan.

Behind the excitement of the discovery, Ferry Hoesain, founder of Biodiversitas Indonesia, felt deep concern considering most of the orangutan habitat has been damaged due to forest fires that occur almost every year.

"Honestly, I was sad, even tears falling from my eyes when I saw some of the orangutan nest that was on top of peat swamp trees, the stands were quite far apart, so to find food or build nests to sleep, they had to swim or walk in waters among the expanse of purun plants (Eleocharis dulcis) or fern such as kelakai (Stenochlaena palutris)“, said Ferry.

From the inventory of orangutan habitats, around 30 orangutan nests of various type were found. Some of the HSU Development Planning, Research and Development Agency (Bappelitbang) team had direct contact with adult male orangutans and documented their whereabouts for a report to the team led by the South Kalimantan Forestry Office.

“The result of inventory of this South Kalimantan orangutan habitat will be reported to the Ministry of Forestry and Environment for materials in determining the continuation of the status of the habitat in the future,“ said Supiani, head of South Kalimantan orangutan Habitat Inventory from KSDAE of the South Kalimantan Forestry Office.

On the other side of the orangutan habitat in HSU and Tabalong, the research held by Forum Orangutan Indonesia (Forina), when following up on the findings of orangutan by Indonesian Biodiversity in 2016, found about 15 types of mammals, either directly or by indications of their existence through traces, nests, scratches, feces, and sound.

Among them were known protected animals, such as gibbons or owa-owa (Hylobatis albibarbis), red langur (Presbytis rubicunda), sambar deer (Cervus Univolor), timor deer (Cervus timorensis), sun bear (Holartos malayanus), mouse deer or kancil (Tragulus javanicus).

Napu (Tragulus napu) as well as several protected bird species, such as cast stork or bangau tong-tong (Laptotilos javanicus), bondol eagless (Haliastur indus), white belly albatrosses (Haliastur leucogaster), and other diversity of animal that can be found in the location.