Despite laws put in place for their protection, orangutan populations in the wild continue to decline. From the populations existing in 1900, only 7% of the Bornean orangutan population and 14% of the Sumatran orangutan population have survived into the 20th century. In this presentation, CIFOR scientist Linda Yuliani discusses why orangutan conservation efforts seem to have had such little success, and provides some possible alternative approaches for more effective orangutan conservation. This presentation was given to delegates at the 2nd World Biodiversity Congress held recently in Malaysia.

1. The fate of orangutan conservation in Indonesia
and strategies for improvement
E. Linda Yuliani, M. Moeliono, H. Adnan, (CIFOR), Deni Bakara, Ade Bujani (Riak Bumi),
E Linda Yuliani M Moeliono H Adnan (CIFOR) Deni Bakara Ade B jani (Riak B mi)
Budi Suriansyah, Muhammad Ilyas (DSNP Authority)
THINKING beyond the canopy

2. Presentation outline
Presentation outline
• Introduction
• Objectives
• Methods
• Results

3. INTRODUCTION

4. Orangutan distribution* and recent
population estimates**
**
• Sumatra (Pongo abelii) – 6,624
( g ) ,
• Borneo:
– Northwest (Pongo
pygmaeus subsp.
pygmaeus) ‐ 3,000–4,500
– Central (P pygmaeus subsp
Central (P. pygmaeus subsp.
wurmbii) at least 34,975
– Northeast (P. pygmaeus
Northeast (P. pygmaeus
subsp. morio about 15,800)
*Map: Caldecott, J. and Miles, L. (Eds.) 2005. World Atlas of Great Apes and Their Conservation, UNEP
and WCMC
** Wich, S.A., Meijaard, E., Marshall, A.J., Husson, S., Ancrenaz, M., Lacy, R.C., van Schaik, C.P.,
Sugardjito, J., Simorangkir, T., Traylor‐Holzer, K., Doughty, M., Supriatna, J., Dennis, R., Gumal, M.,
Sugardjito J Simorangkir T Traylor Holzer K Doughty M Supriatna J Dennis R Gumal M
Knott, C.D. and Singleton, I. 2008. Distribution and conservation status of the orangutan (Pongo
spp.) on Borneo and Sumatra: How Many Remain? Oryx 42(3): 329‐339.

5. A comprehensive legal framework
A comprehensive legal framework
• During colonial: 1925 Ordinance (Dierenbeschermingsordonnantie)
g ( g )
• National laws and regulations:
– Law 5/1990 on the Conservation of the Living Resources and ther
a 5/ 990 o t e Co se at o o t e g esou ces a d t e
Ecosystems, with implementing regulations on endangered species
conservation (Peraturan Pemerintah 7/1999) and exploitation of
endangered species (PP 8/1999);
endangered species (PP 8/1999);
– Law 41/1999 on Forestry, with implementing regulations on forest
protection (PP 45/2004), forest governance, planning and exploitation of
forests (PP 6/2007) and the Ministerial decree on guidelines for managing
( / )
conflict between humans and wildlife (P.48/Menhut‐II/2008) ; and
– Law 26/2007 on Spatial Planning.
/ p g
• National Strategy and Action Plan for Orangutan, whose implementation
is formalized through the Forestry Ministry decree P.53/Menhut‐IV/2007
g y y / /

6. However, orangutan populations in the
wild continue to decline
Out of the populations extant in
1900, only 7% of the Bornean
orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
pygmaeus)
population and 14% of the
Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii)
Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii)
population survived the 20th
century
Rijksen, H.D. & Meijaard, E. 1999. Our
Vanishing Relative: The Status of Wild
Vanishing Relative: The Status of Wild
Orang‐Utans at the Close of the Twentieth
Century. Tropenbos Publications.
Wageningen. Kluwer Academic Publishers,
g g ,
Dordrecht.

7. In Danau Sentarum NP and its surrounding
landscape (West Kalimantan)
Parameter Russon et al. 2001 Our results (Jan‐Jul
(data collection: 2010)
1997)
No. of locations 7 10
Total length of
T ll h f Approx.
A Approx.
A
transect 3km/location 6km/location
Total 15.75 km
Total 15 75 km Total 52 51 km
52.51 km
No. of nests found 264 147
• A work in progress, but the results indicate a serious decline of OU
population
• In one location Russon found 20‐57 nests we found none as the
In one location, Russon found 20 57 nests, we found none as the
forest has been totally cleared for oil palm

8. Major threats
Direct causes:
• Habitat loss due to forest
conversion, mainly for mining,
i i l f i i
oil palm plantations and timber
plantations;
• Habitat degradation and
fragmentation caused by road
construction, forest fires and
construction, forest fires and
illegal logging
• Poaching and illegal trading
Underlying causes:
• Poor governance
• Weak law enforcement
Weak law enforcement
• Ambiguous policy that explicitly protects species but not their habitat
• Lack of awareness of the laws in place to protect endangered species
• Poor coordination amongst key actors, and poverty
Poor coordination amongst key actors and poverty
• Conflict with humans

9. Conservation efforts and comprehensive legal framework have
failed to stop the declining orangutan habitat
WHY?? WHAT CAN BE DONE?
WHY?? WHAT CAN BE DONE?

10. Study of conservation policies and stakeholders
perception on orangutan
Objectives:
• To improve understanding
of why conservation in
f h ti i
general has been
characterized by so few
characterized by so few
examples of success – from
social perspectives
• To develop alternative
approaches for more
effective orangutan
conservation

11. METHODS
• Conventional method: direct
observation, questionnaire
and in‐depth interview with
district government,
government conservation
government conservation
agencies, NGOs and local
p p
people
• Action research: PRA
techniques (Venn diagram,
village sketch, FGDs), small
workshops and meetings

12. RESULTS

13. The fate of (orangutan) conservation in
Indonesia
• Inconsistent national and
regional policies;
• Failure to involve local people
in conservation efforts;
• Failure to assign clear rights,
roles and responsibilities;
• Lack of coordination and
communication; and
• Unclear accessibility and
g
allocation of funding

14. Inconsistent national and regional policies
g p
• Indonesia’s laws: recognise the importance of protecting orangutans
(and other key species), but this is not reflected in government
programmes and policies.
programmes and policies.
• National Strategy and Action Plan on Orangutan Conservation launched
by the President in December 2007, but neither national nor local
governments adopt the strategies.

15. Examples
p
National Strategy:
gy Reality:
y
The best way to protect National and district land use
orangutans is by protecting their planning: prioritizing large scale
habitat plantations and mining forest
plantations and mining forest
clearing
Translocation is to be a last resort if Government conservation
habitat rehabilitation is impractical agencies: relocation and
or impossible
or impossible translocation are the only option
translocation are the only option
for saving the remaining
orangutans from non‐protected
areas, as they are unable to stop
deforestation, and receive no
support from other sectors.
support from other sectors

16. Failure to involve local people
p p
Growing realisation and efforts to involve local people, but:
• M l h
Mostly characterized by a one‐way communication and not promoting
i db i i d i
social capital improvement:
– informing local people of the programme
informing local people of the programme
– imposing restrictions without dialogue or adequate consultation
– treating local people as threats rather than working through their
potential to support conservation

17. Failure to involve local people
• Lack of capacity and
knowledge of the key
institutions on both
orangutan ecology and
ecology and
socio‐cultural context of
p p
the local people
• The fundamental meaning
of participatory/
collaborative management
is poorly understood

18. Unclear rights, roles and responsibilities
Unclear rights roles and responsibilities
• Conservation: responsibility of all
citizens with specific roles and duties,
however key stakeholder groups
consider conservation as the
consider conservation as the
responsibility of the government
agency for nature protection alone.
• Laws: not enforced, but government
bodies are debating the creation of
more regulations rather than
more regulations rather than
implementing the existing
• Government actions should rigidly
Government actions should rigidly
follow the law and territoriality , and
availability of budget no action
during emergency
d i

19. Lack of coordination and communication
• Among government sectors
• Government structure:
absence of authority to
coordinate other sectors and
coordinate other sectors and
levels of government
• Efforts to build coordination
and communication:
– Too formal
– Too high profile
Too high profile
– Too much focus on producing
formal documents
– Lack of processes to build
Lack of processes to build
mutual trust, understanding
and in‐depth communication

20. Unclear accessibility and allocation of funding
• Conservation funds: donors
and government
d
• From donors:
– F
For orangutan i l
is larger than
h
for other species
– Short period, difficult to
p ,
undertake long‐term
planning
– One case: large funding
One case: large funding
coordinated by one
organization, but who could
apply and what activities
l d h t ti iti
could be funded are unclear

21. Unclear accessibility and allocation of funding
Unclear accessibility and allocation of funding
Government’s budget:
• Relatively small, mostly for
routine operating costs
and salaries
and salaries
• Rigid allocation +
territoriality + bureaucracy
Insufficient funds for rescue
or emergency operations,
or emergency operations
awareness‐raising
programmes, capacity
building and monitoring

22. SOME ALTERNATIVE APPROCHES
SOME ALTERNATIVE APPROCHES
• Local people as
Local people as
conservation cadres
• I t
Integrating formal law
ti f ll
with customary rules
• Appropriate reward
mechanisms
• Meaningful multi‐
stakeholder/
collaborative processes

23. Local people as conservation cadre
Key: Through:
• B ild l l
Build local people self‐
l lf • AAwareness programs and d
motivation and self‐ capacity building based on
organizing capacity
g g p y folklore, local knowledge
g
• Rooted in local culture and and traditional norms
knowledge • Proper recognition and
reward from outsiders
df id

24. Integrating policies/formal regulations with
traditional systems
d l
• L
Law and customary rules
d t l • P
Processes to build in‐depth
t b ild i d th
• Protected area zonation with communication, mutual trust
traditional land use system
traditional land‐use system and understanding g
• A series of training‐workshop
on law enforcement

25. Appropriate reward mechanisms
Appropriate reward mechanisms
• Long‐term and equal benefits • Often in practical and simple forms,
• Gender equity e.g.:
• No elite‐capture – Education facilities and healthcare,
praying house, micro‐hydro power,
praying house micro hydro power
• Build self‐reliance rather than
– Connection to NTFP market,
dependency
capacity building to improve
quality and get certification,
association to stabilize NTFP price
– Media coverage and network with
Media coverage and network with
civil societies visitors
better recognition and additional
income snowball effect
income snowball effect
• Work well when there is strong and
clean local institution with good
leadership

26. Meaningful multi‐stakeholder/collaborative
processes
• Focus on potentials rather than problems
Focus on potentials rather than problems • Use organizational
Use organizational
development tools, e.g.:
• To promote communication, relation and
sharing knowledge, NOT bureaucracy and – Appreciative inquiry
creation of formal documents – Accelerated learning
• Should build the key stakeholders’ sense – Vibrant facilitation
of belonging and pride, NOT simply aimed
of belonging and pride NOT simply aimed • Every one has something
Every one has something
to meet project targets important to say
• What I can contribute, NOT
what others should do

27. THANK YOU