Borneo Nature Foundation will establish community seedling nurseries in villages adjacent to the Sebangau National Park, Central Kalimantan. This project aims to empower local communities to address threats and implement conservation solutions to conserve the largest protected population of Bornean orangutans (> 6,000 individuals). The project will promote a small-scale green economy to supplement income and support livelihoods, encouraging participation and leadership by women.
Despite its protected status, Sebangau National Park (~6,000 km2) is at serious risk: forest fire, illegal logging, peatland drainage and hunting threaten the forest and its wildlife. In 2015, fires burnt 833 km2 of the Park and forest cover declined from 80.4% to 68.5%. The fire crisis requires major interventions at all levels, from national policy down to local in situ actions. Working with local communities, BNF will assist the regeneration of burnt and degraded forest areas.
BNF will build five community seedling nurseries in Kereng Bangkirai and Sarabu villages adjacent to Sebangau National Park. Each nursery will be co-managed by seven or eight families; therefore a total of 36 families will directly benefit. BNF will provide training to transfer skills and knowledge; structural resources to build the nurseries; support and advice regarding maintaining the nurseries; and regular training workshops for updating skillsets.
This will achieve the twin goals of restoring burned/deforested forest habitat, while simultaneously developing a more environmentally aware local community and sustainable local economy, thus reducing future threats to the forest and its apes.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
