Logging and orangutans can survive side-by-side

Forests can be logged without harming orangutans if sustainable methods are used, according to Mr. Totok Suripto, the President Director of forestry company Gunung Gajah Abadi (GGA).

Speaking at the March 1 seminar in Samarinda, Learning Workshop on Biodiversity Management in Forest Use Business Permit Concessions in the Wehea-Kelay Landscape, Mr. Suripto said, "By applying the principles of sustainable forest management, we succeeded in reducing the negative impact of logging and maintaining the preservation of flora and fauna in the region."

GGA manages 74,000 hectares in East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo. GGA holds official accreditation for sustainable forest management both locally and globally. It has been awarded Indonesia's Lestari Production Forest Management Certificate and international certification from the Forest Stewardship Council.

The company applies a Reduced Impact Logging-Carbon approach to its operations and implements social and environmental practices. GGA operates within the 532,000-hectare, high-conservation Wehea-Kelay Landscape Management Initiative.

The orangutan is endemic to the region and has been protected through official collaborative management efforts since 2015. Various parties, including representatives from different layers of society, the private sector, regional governments, the central government, and non-governmental organizations, handle the Wehea-Keaya Landscape's management.

The partners collaborate through the Wehea-Keaya landscape management forum, which has grown from 10 to 23 parties in recent years. Mr. Suripto says the forum has increased his company's understanding of environmental issues.

"We have learned a lot from the forum about ecological management. We are also more aware of the biodiversity richness in the area we operate in, both in terms of quantity and management," the GGA President Director said.

Increasing the density of the orangutan population

The forum's success in managing biodiversity is good news. According to Mr. Arif Rifqi, a specialist in conserving endangered species with the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN), "Estimates indicate an increase in orangutan population density in the areas managed by (forest companies) GGA and Karya Lestari compared to the baseline from four years ago."

The density of the orangutan population in GGA's logging concession increased by 17 percent. For Karya Lestari, the increase was 46 percent. "This finding shows that sustainable forest management on a landscape scale can save the orangutan population," Mr. Rifqi said.

The orangutan population was calculated by determining the number of nests along a transect of the terrain. The overall study surveyed 33 segmented transects spaced four kilometers apart.

GGA and Karya Lestari's concessions serve as the orangutan monitoring locations for the Wehea-Kelay landscape. The two companies are also members of the Wehea-Kelay Landscape Management Forum and implement best management practices in their operations.

Orangutans are protected nationally and globally. They even have a day dedicated to them, International Orangutan Day on August 19. Orangutans are regarded as an umbrella species – species that help protect other species – because they help the forest regenerate by dispersing seeds from the fruit they consume.

The loss of orangutans will exacerbate the loss of other species living in the same habitat. These great apes share 93 percent similarity with human DNA, offering much to be learned from orangutan ecology to enhance human well-being.

The loss of orangutans will affect the loss of other species in the habitat. These great apes exhibit a 93 percent genetic similarity with humans, potentially offering valuable insights from orangutan ecology that can contribute to advancing human well-being.

In Mr. Rifqi's view, "Many aspects of orangutans remain undiscovered. There is still a lot to unravel in understanding the role of orangutans in human life. Equally important is emphasizing humanity's role in relation to orangutans."

The purpose of the March 1 workshop was to disseminate the steps taken by holders of Forest Use Business Permits to implement best management practices and their impact on biodiversity in their work areas. Participants at the workshop included members of the Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association. Mr. Suripto, noting the role of forest entrepreneurs, said "We are proof that concession management can maintain biodiversity."

Forest Use Business Permit

The Chair of the Regional Commission for the Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association of East Kalimantan, Asrul Anwar, said he would convey the workshop's results to the association's 100 members. Mr. Anwar further noted, "In the future, managing production forests will be inseparable from managing the natural environment, namely biodiversity."

The Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association plans to initiate activities and research on biodiversity across all regions, providing it with comprehensive information. "We hope East Kalimantan will become a national pilot," Mr. Anwar concluded.