Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program Inc

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO (1) APPLY THE USE OF DRONE TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING NEWLY AVAILABLE THERMAL DRONES, TO ASSESS ORANGUTAN POPULATIONS, LOCATE INDIVIDUAL ANIMALS AND ASSESS CANOPY TEMPERATURE, AND BUILD A PHOTOGRAPHIC DATABASE OF ORANGUTAN NESTS FROM A DRONE'S PERSPECTIVE; PILOT THE USE OF THERMAL-EQUIPPED DRONES AS A METHOD FOR LOCATING ORANGUTANS; IMPLEMENT THE USE OF THERMAL-EQUIPPED DRONES TO RAPIDLY ASSESS ORANGUTAN PRESENCE IN PROTECTED CUSTOMARY FOREST AREAS; AND ASSESS CANOPY TEMPERATURE USING THERMAL-EQUIPPED DRONES AS A MEASURE OF DEGRADATION AND FIRE RISK; (2) DETERMINE AND MONITOR LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY AND ANTHROPOGENIC DISTURBANCE IN PRIMARY, DEGRADED AND CUSTOMARY FOREST HABITATS; INVESTIGATE DIFFERENCES IN BIODIVERSITY AND ORANGUTAN BEHAVIOR BETWEEN FOREST HABITATS THROUGH CAMERA TRAPPING; EXPAND BIO-ACOUSTIC MONITORING IN DEGRADED AND PRIMARY HABITATS; INVESTIGATE DIFFERENCES IN PHENOLOGY OF TREES AND LIANAS IN PRIMARY, DISTURBED AND CUSTOMARY FORESTS; DETERMINE DIFFERENCES IN RAINFALL, TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY AND SOLAR RADIATION ACROSS PRIMARY AND DISTURBED FORESTS AS A MEASURE OF ANTHROPOGENIC DISTURBANCE AND AN INDICATOR OF FOREST FIRE RISK; (3) UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF HUMAN DISTURBANCE, ACTIVITY AND PROXIMITY ON ORANGUTAN BEHAVIOR, DIET, AND HEALTH IN DIFFERENT FOREST TYPES PRESENT IN THE GUNUNG PALUNG NATIONAL PARK (GPNP) LANDSCAPE; DETERMINE INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY OF ORANGUTANS UTILIZING PRIMARY, DEGRADED AND CUSTOMARY FOREST HABITATS; ESTABLISH A SEMI-PERMANENT CAMP AT THE RANGKONG RESEARCH SITE; DETERMINE DIFFERENCES IN ORANGUTAN RANGE USE AND BEHAVIOR IN DEGRADED VS. PRIMARY FOREST TYPES; DETERMINE DIFFERENCES IN ORANGUTAN DIET IN PRIMARY, DEGRADED AND CUSTOMARY FORESTS; MEASURE HEALTH AND PARASITE LOAD OF ORANGUTANS FOUND IN THE RANGKONG AND CABANG PANTI SITES; (4) ASSIST THE TANJUNG GUNUNG COMMUNITY DECREASE THEIR DEPENDENCE ON ENVIRONMENTALLY DESTRUCTIVE ACTIVITIES, SWITCHING TO MORE SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS AND BECOMING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS; SUPPORTING NEW FARMING METHODS TO OPTIMIZE LAND USE AND MITIGATE THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FOREST CLEARING; MITIGATING WILD FIRES AND REFORESTING AN AREA DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO GPNP THAT IS IN DANGER OF ANNUAL FIRES; AND (5) CUSTOMARY FORESTS ARE ABLE TO MANAGE THEIR LAND SUSTAINABLY AND PREVENT ORANGUTAN-HUMAN CONFLICT; DETERMINE ORANGUTAN POPULATION STATUS IN CUSTOMARY FORESTS IN COLLABORATION WITH CUSTOMARY FOREST MANAGEMENT BOARD (LPHD); REDUCE IMPACT OF WILD FIRES ON CUSTOMARY FORESTS AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS IN COLLABORATION IN LPHD BY TRAINING THEM IN FIREFIGHTING AND FIRE PREVENTION AS WELL AS PROVIDE THEM WITH MORE FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT; MITIGATE ILLEGAL ACTIVITY IN PROTECTED CUSTOMARY FORESTS, BY PROVIDING THEM WITH SMART (SPATIAL MONITORING AND REPORTING TOOL) PATROL TRAINING AND IMPLEMENTATION AND MONTHLY REPORTING.

THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND THE ORANGUTAN'S USE OF DEGRADED HABITAT BY ESTABLISHING A SECONDARY RESEARCH FOCUS IN THE ANTHROPOGENICALLY DISTURBED PART OF THE FOREST THAT EXISTS BETWEEN THE TRANSMIGRANT VILLAGE OF TANJUNG GUNUNG AND THE OUTER BOUNDARIES OF THE CABANG RESEARCH STATION IN THE GUNUNG PALUNG LANDSCAPE AND THROUGH THE FOLLOWING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: (1) DETERMINE LEVELS OF HABITAT DISRUPTION, PLANT SPECIES DISTRIBUTION AND DENSITY AND LEVELS OF BIODIVERSITY IN DEGRADED VS. PRIMARY HABITAT, AND ESTABLISH BIO-ACOUSTIC MONITORING IN THE RANGKONG AND CABANG PANTI SITES; (2) MONITOR ORANGUTAN HABITAT USE AND DIET IN AN ANTHROPOGENICALLY DISTURBED HABITAT; (3) ASSESS POPULATION VIABILITY AND HEALTH STATUS OF ORANGUTANS ACROSS THE GPNP LANDSCAPE, AND COMPARE THE RESULTS FROM THIS STUDY WITH PAST RESULTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS MAY AFFECT ORANGUTAN HEALTH. GENETIC STUDIES WILL BE CARRIED OUT TO DETERMINE IF ORANGUTANS FROM THE PRIMARY FOREST ARE USING THE DEGRADED HABITATS; AND, (4) LEVELS OF ORANGUTAN-HUMAN CONFLICT THROUGH SURVEYS WILL BE DETERMINED IN VILLAGES SURROUNDING THE PARK AND SUCCESS AT ACHIEVING AWARENESS OF ORANGUTAN-HUMAN CONFLICT BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES WILL BE ASSESSED. THERE WILL AWARENESS RAISING PROGRAMS THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION TO REMOTE VILLAGES, RADIO PROGRAMS AND PRINT AND SOCIAL MEDIA.

FY2018 GREAT APE CONSERVATION FUND

ORANGUTAN POPULATION SURVEYS AND HEALTH ASSESSMENTS IN GUNUNG PALUNG NATIONAL PARK

BORNEAN ORANGUTAN AND FOREST HABITAT CONSERVATION THROUGH CUSTOMARY FORESTS, ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS, INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND HUMAN-ORA

ASSESSING THE HEALTH STATUS OF WILD ORANGUTAN POPULATIONS