Orangutan Population Claimed To Grow 17 Percent Thanks To Forest Lestari Kalimantan

JAKARTA - The practice of sustainable forest management in the company concession area in East Kalimantan grew the orangutan population by 17 percent, based on data on the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN).

The data shows that the orangutan population in the company concession accompanied by YKAN in East Kalimantan increased from 508 in 2018 to 605 in 2022.

"This increase in orangutan population occurred in the concession area of the company PT Gunung Gajah Abadi Samarinda which has implemented sustainable forest management practices," said Director of the YKAN Terrestrial Program Ruslandi as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, November 2.

Ruslandi explained that the increase in the orangutan population in the company's concessions was the result of efforts to manage sustainable forests.

These efforts include the development of self-assessment devices, biodiversity monitoring, handling community conflicts with wild animals, companies, and the implementation of low-emission logging.

"The survey cannot be carried out at least once three times a year because the number of orangutans is many times," said Ruslandi.

According to Ruslandipenerakan, low emission logging or RIL-C in sustainable forest practices also contributes to increasing the population of these protected species.

The implementation of RIL-C minimizes forest damage by avoiding felling potholes, regulating the direction of tree lying, reducing damage to large trees, and minimizing the area of the transport road.

"Even on the other hand, it also reduces carbon emissions by 130,750 tons of CO2e or 0.017 percent which helps the government reduce carbon emissions based on research with BRIN as the main key to RIL-C practices," he said.

YKAN is collaborating with the Forestry Service of East Kalimantan Province to integrate the implementation of RIL-C into the work program of the local Forestry Service.

YKAN also provided technical assistance to 27 wood companies holding IUPHHK in East Kalimantan in obtaining PHPL certificates and international certification for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

"We hope that this increase in the orangutan population and carbon emissions can be an example for other companies to implement the practice of sustainable forest management and RIL-C," said Ruslandi.