Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia's Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni on July 13 announced that it has prepared an 87,000-hectare conservation area in East Kalimantan to strengthen habitat protection for orangutans, one of the country's endemic species.
Antoni was quoted by local media as saying that the process is already underway. It has taken a long time, but the proposed multi-stakeholder conservation area covers 87,000 hectares.
He said the ministry is preparing a ministerial decree to establish a Working Group for Integrated Orangutan Conservation in the Keraitan Landscape.
The minister said he will issue a letter of support for orangutan conservation and habitat protection efforts proposed by the Conservation Action Network (CAN).
The sanctuary will serve as an ecological corridor linking orangutan habitats across the Keraitan Landscape. The initiative is expected to improve rescue efforts for orangutans, particularly young animals that stray into mining areas after losing their natural habitat. The project has received the backing and commitment of all companies licensed to operate in the area./.
Indonesia launches campaign to protect endangered rainforest elephants
Conservation groups classify the Sumatran elephant as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, while Bornean elephant populations have declined sharply because of deforestation, habitat fragmentation and increasing human-wildlife conflict.
