19-22 JUNE 2002
Palangka Raya, Kalimantan
Indonesia
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7
Section 2. REHABILITATION AND REINTRODUCTION
WORKING GROUP REPORT 21
Section 3. VETERINARY WORKING GROUP REPORT 39
Section 4. HABITAT AND SPECIES PROTECTION/
SOCIOECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE
WORKING GROUP REPORT 63
Section 5. FIELD SITES WORKING GROUP REPORT 93
Section 6. PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
WORKING GROUP REPORT 97
Section 7. PARTICIPANTS' VISION FOR ORANGUTANS AND
GOALS FOR THE WORKSHOP 119
Section 8. DISSENTING OPINION PIECE 125
Section 9. PARTICIPANT LIST 133
INTRODUCTION
Orangutan Conservation and Management Workshop Executive Summary
In June 2001, the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG), in
collaboration with the Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Project and the
Primate Specialist Group, conducted a workshop to produce a plan to counter
the primary threats to orangutan survival and minimize their risk of
extinction.
Despite efforts to protect orangutans in the wild, prospects for their
survival are the worst they have ever been. By the early 1990s, orangutan
habitat was estimated to have dropped by at least 80% and numbers by 30-50%
in a period of only 20 years. In 1997-98, Borneo was devastated by the
worst drought and fires in almost a century, costing its orangutan
population another 20-30% of its numbers and leaving only about 15,000
remaining. A recent wave of forest conversion, illegal and legal logging,
and wildlife poaching has reduced orangutan numbers even further. In the
Leuser ecosystem, the orangutan's stronghold in Sumatra, numbers have
dropped over 45% since 1993 to leave as few as 6,500 in 1999. During
1998-99, losses occurred at the rate of about 1,000 orangutans a year. In
the wake of this onslaught, some 600 ex-captive orangutans are now under
care in rehabilitation centers and an equal number are estimated to remain
in captivity.
Either directly or indirectly, all the strategies recommended at the 2001
workshop focussed on what is universally accepted as the root cause of all
major problems for orangutans, habitat loss. A major catalyst to habitat
loss is the economic and political crisis. Among the fallouts are
mushrooming numbers of ex-captives, fragmentation of wild populations and
consequent genetic fragility, scarcity of appropriate release sites for
rehabilitants and reduced carrying capacity in remaining wild orangutan
habitat.
The 2001 Orangutan Workshop was the first step in a dynamic and evolving
process. Toward this end, CBSG was invited by The Gibbon Foundation and The
Balikpapan Orangutan Survival Foundation to conduct a follow-up Orangutan
Conservation and Reintroduction Workshop. The workshop was hosted by Lone
Droscher Nielsen and Kisar Odom of Nyaru Menteng on 19 - 22 June 2002 at
Palangkaraya, Kalimantan. Forty-eight workshop participants, many of them
key orangutan experts from 6 countries (see Section 9 for list of
participants), focused on: 1) compiling the latest information, 2)
determining standards and guidelines-for rehabilitation centers,
reintroduction efforts, and wild orangutan conservation efforts, and 3)
implementing the 2001 workshop recommendations.
Veterinarians used this opportunity to conduct the first annual meeting of
the Komisi Doktor Hewan untak Orangutan (Veterinary Committee for
Orangutans) established at the 2001 workshop to discuss and update
veterinary issues relating to orangutan conservation. In addition, the
Rehabilitation Center Alliance members gathered with the goal of fostering
better links and cooperation between the centers and all of the orangutan
range country experts. Other participants, including Indonesian biologists,
researchers and wildlife managers, were tasked with developing specific
action plans for implementation of recommendations in the areas of habitat
and species protection, research, public awareness and education.
THE WORKSHOP PROCESS
The Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) is one of the 125
Specialist Groups in the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of IUCN. Within
the SSC, the primary goal of CBSG is to contribute to the development of
integrated and viable conservation strategies and action plans in order to
facilitate the survival and conservation of threatened species. The CBSG
Workshop process is based upon biological and sociological science. CBSG
has 15 years of experience in developing, testing, and applying a series of
scientifically based tools and processes to assist in risk characterization
and species management decision-making. These tools are used in intensive,
problem-solving workshops to produce realistic and achievable
recommendations for both in situ and ex situ population management. They
are based on population and conservation biology, human demography, and the
dynamics of social learning.
The CBSG Workshop itself is intensive and interactive and the 2002
Orangutan Conservation and Reintroduction Workshop was no exception. It
took place over a full three and-one-half days, evenings included. The
Workshop began with opening ceremony presentations by Dr. Willie Smits, BOS
Board of Directors, Mr. Adi Susmianto, Director of Biodiversity
Conservation and Mr. Nahson Taway, Vice Governor of Central Kalimantan.
The participatory process began with each person introducing him- or
herself and giving answers to the following questions:
1. What is your vision for wild orangutans in the year 2012?
2. What role do you see yourself playing in the effort to minimize
orangutan extinction risk over the next 10 years?
3. What is your personal goal for this workshop?
A common vision of sustainable, safe populations of wild orangutans in
protected areas was evident in the responses that can be found in Section 7
of this report. Also evident was a willingness on the part of the
participants to share information and work together to solve the crisis
facing the orangutans and their habitat.
Participants divided into 5 working groups based on the groups established
at the 2001 workshop: Reintroduction and Rehabilitation, Veterinary Issues,
Habitat and Species Protection, Identification of New Field Research and
Release Sites, Socio-economic and Governance Issues, Public Awareness and
Education. Each working group was asked to:
? Update the situation facing orangutans and their habitat and identify and
define any new issues that have arisen in the past year
? Review recommendations and actions resulting from the 2001 workshop and
develop updated recommendations reflecting new issues
? Implement recommendations (i.e. produce standards and guidelines) where
possible
? Revise priority actions to increase implementation potential
? Prepare working group reports
Each group presented the results of their work in daily plenary sessions to
make sure that everyone had an opportunity to contribute to the work of the
other groups and to assure that issues were reviewed and discussed by all
workshop participants. Each working group produced a report describing
their topic, identifying specific recommendations and actions.
In addition, the veterinary issues group and the rehabilitation and
reintroduction group implemented their recommendations to develop
guidelines and standards of practice. Workshop participants extensively
reviewed these policies in plenary sessions and consensus was reached on each.
Each working group prepared a draft working group report during the
workshop and recommendations reviewed and agreed upon by all participants.
The final report was reviewed, revised, and translated into Bahasa
Indonesia by volunteer participants. Detailed working group reports can be
found in sections 2 - 6 of this document.
SUMMARY OF WORKSHOP RESULTS
Establishment of the Orangutan Conservation Forum (OCF)
One of the most exciting and promising outcomes of the workshop was the
consensus decision to establish a formalized structure to continue the
momentum gathered here and to move the process of implementation forward. A
temporary name was chosen: Orangutan Conservation Forum (OCF). There was
agreement that IUCN/SSC CBSG has provided significant value to the group
and the forum should maintain this affiliation. The initial functions of
this forum are to:
? Provide input on policy
? Fundraising
? Information dissemination
? Communication
? Follow-up/implementation of workshop recommendation
ACTIONS
o Pak Sugardjito will drive this forum and he will need administrative
assistance.
o Ashley Leiman will look onto the potential for seed money from GRASP
(UNESCO) to support the forum.
o Fundraising
o Information dissemination
o Communication
o Follow-up/implementation of workshop recommendations
WHERE TO ORDER:
Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
Species Survival Commission
12101 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Apple Valley, MN 55124-8151
Tel: 1-952-997-9800
Fax:1-952-432-2757
e-mail: office@cbsg.org
web site: www.cbgs.org
Posted Date: 5/29/2003
URL: http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/review/Orangutan.html
Page last modified:
May 29, 2003
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