Jantho Forest: Orangutans, Forests, and Communities
Copyright: Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari-Sumatran Orangutan Conervation Programme.
Releasing orangutans into the wild is not the end of the conservation effort. In the Jantho Nature Reserve, our team continues Forest Patrols (SMART Patrol) to monitor and protect reintroduced orangutans while protecting their habitat from potential threats. Over the past six months, six patrols covering 50 days patrol more than 522 km,recording 45 orangutan nest sightings , 141 wildlife recorded and encountering Molika, a rehabilitated orangutan who reintroduced in 2022, in good health as she explored beyond the regular monitoring area. The patrols also documented five potential threats, including two illegal gold-mining locations and three former shelters, as well as a wild boar found dead in a snare. These findings highlight the importance of continued monitoring and protection of the forest and its wildlife.
Conservation also depends on community empowerment living around the forest. Through strengthening local communities, particularly those living in the buffer zone, the SumaBee honey program promotes the development of a locally produced honey product as an opportunity to support community livelihoods while connecting them more closely with the conservation of the Jantho landscape. Through the program, beekeeping groups have developed in eight villages around the Jantho area, and we continue to provide support and strengthen their capacity in beekeeping practices. These villages comprise around 195 households. The initiative aims not only to create local economic opportunities, but also to encourage greater community engagement in protecting the forests and ecosystems of Jantho over the long term.
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