Wehea-Kelay is a landscape area that occupies around 2 percent or 532,143 hectares of the total forest area in Kalimantan. This area is located on the border between Kutai Timur Regency and Berau Regency in East Kalimantan Province and boasts significant biodiversity.
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Around 77 mammal species have been documented from this region, about 50% belonging to Primates, Carnivora, and Artiodactyla orders. The Bornean orangutan of the morio subspecies (Pongo pygmaeus morio) is the only great ape in the primate group found in this area. Meanwhile, the clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) is the top predator recognized to inhabit this region.
The Wehea-Kelay Landscape is also home to at least 271 species of birds (avian fauna), 57 of which are protected species in Indonesia due to their declining populations. Additionally, the diversity of herpetofauna recorded includes 117 species, comprising 47 reptile species and 70 amphibian species.
The Bornean orangutan is an umbrella species with a relatively high population in the Wehea-Kelay Landscape. Based on the 2016 Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) for orangutans, the orangutan population in this landscape is estimated to range between 806 and 821 individuals. It means, about 26% of the orangutans in East Kalimantan live in the Wehea_Kelay Landscape.
Forestry concessions manage most of the area, while the rest are included in the Wehea Protected Forest, plantation areas, and community-managed lands. In 2015, stakeholders in this region made a significant decision to collaborate on sustainable natural resource management. The declaration of a multi-party cooperation agreement marks this collaborative management initiative.
The Wehea-Kelay Essential Ecosystem Management Forum (KEE) was established a year later. To this day, the management of Wehea-Kelay involves 23 parties, including community members, private sectors, local government, central government, and non-governmental organizations. This forum consistently facilitates and provides a platform for multi-party coordination to achieve the common goal of sustainably preserving natural resources through protected area management and implementing best practices.
As a scientific-based non-profit organization, Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) continues the programs of its partner, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which has been carrying out conservation programs in Kalimantan for over 20 years. One of its priority areas is the Wehea-Kelay Landscape. Together with multiple parties, including Indigenous communities, YKAN actively supports the communities in preserving the ecosystem and biodiversity in this area. Various research activities are also conducted with academic partners to protect this diversity, particularly for endemic wildlife species.
The forests of East Kalimantan, particularly the Wehea-Kelay Landscape, play a crucial role in mitigating the impact of global climate change. With East Kalimantan's forest area reaching 8.3 million hectares in 2023, the threat of deforestation and ecosystem degradation is a stark reality. Our collective responsibility is to protect the Wehea-Kelay Landscape, a vital step in preserving Indonesia's natural environment and biodiversity.
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