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Communicating Harapan Rainforest's research results

I have just returned from the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation conference on Tropical Biodiversity, held in Bali. There was a good turn out with over 800 participants from more than 60 countries and it was a great opportunity for us to learn about other research activities and projects taking place across Asia. It was exciting for me to see so many Indonesian students attending the conference and it may be that some of them join us at Harapan Rainforest to conduct their own research in the future.

Harapan Rainforest through the lens

A film crew recently visited Harapan Rainforest to make a film. I was lucky to join them to learn about making the exciting conservation films we see on television or the internet.
We spent the first few days with the Bathin Sembilan indigenous community; filming their daily lives and seeing how important the forest is for them. They enjoyed the chance to showcase their traditional livelihood!

Pangolins saved from traditional medicine trade released in Harapan Rainforest

The pangolin is a strange looking mammal; scaly, with a prehensile tail, and claws for opening termite mounds. I never thought I’d see one of these secretive animals in the wild.
I got my first encounter last week in sad circumstances, and not just one but 40 of them! The governement wildlife agency, BKSDA, had siezed a shipment of pangolins, and asked whether they could be released into Harapan Rainforest. As no one knew where they had been caught, we were happy to provide a release site.

Time for talk at Tiger Junction

We are currently holding discussions with one of the indigenous community groups living within Harapan Rainforest, at a place called Simpang Macan (Tiger Junction).
This group of 27 families is based at Simpang Macan, but moves into the forest in search of fruit, rattan, fish and game from time-to-time throughout the year. They already have their own system of forest protection laws and sanctions that forbid activities such as tubo (fishing by poisoning rivers), which attracts a fine of up to 4 goats.

Raising the roof at Harapan Rainforest!

 

New office buidling I’ve arrived into camp after a break to see some building work - an office and 11 new rooms to house staff. This is welcome as we are now in desperate need of more office space and accommodation.
The new buildings are traditional in design; wooden with very tall metal roofs to keep the inside cool. They are an example of recycling at its best - originally built in the city of Palembang over 40 years ago, they have been taken down and transported to our camp over 200km away. They are now being put back together like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

A new face at Harapan Rainforest

Worm Sorensen It’s dawn. The frogs fall silent while gibbons tell everybody about their territories and the sunrise. The night-shift is over and the day-shift begins.
I have now been at Harapan Rainforest for more than a month as Senior Technical Adviser, bringing the experience gained in 12 years of conservation work in Indonesia.
Most of my career has been managing pristine habitats protected from clearance, like national parks. However, Harapan Rainforest is about bringing damaged habitat “back to what it was”.  For me, that is really exciting.

Rain, rain, go away!

Muddy road

 It is a big relief to be at the end of the rainy season. Following a long dry season when our fire fighting teams were on high alert, we have experienced long periods of extremely heavy rain which brought a different challenge. Travel to and from, and within, Harapan Rainforest has become increasingly difficult, with roads and bridges being completely washed away or developing deep pot holes, some larger than the vehicles themselves.

Tiptoeing through tiger territory

Adult female tiger

 One of the most amazing things about working in a tropical forest is the ever-present thrill of what I might encounter next. On our last field trip, myself and our six research assistants woke up just before dawn to the unmistakable, deep resonating growl of a tiger, less than 200m from our tents. It was a little unnerving as it seemed to be circling us, but we knew it was just letting us know that we were in its territory.

 

Boost for indigenous people and rare wildlife of Harapan Rainforest

Indigenous family Last night, the RSPB’s Chief Executive Graham Wynne and Head of Global Programmes Dieter Hoffmann were in Berlin to welcome major German government funding and the backing of NABU, the German BirdLife partner, for the ground-breaking Harapan Rainforest project in Sumatra. They were joined by representatives of Burung Indonesia and Yayasan KEHI, the implementing agency for the Harapan Rainforest project.


 

Local community supports hornbill research and conservation

Research team member, Musadat discussing hornbills with Pak Ajer

 We were recently visited by a local indigenous community member with the exciting news that a hornbill nest had been found. This is part of a scheme that pays local community members for providing information on hornbill nests so we can then monitor their breeding behaviour.  Thanks to Pak Ajer we were taken to a nest tree that turned out to contain a female Bushy-crested Hornbill  Anorrhinus galeritus and at least one chick.  When ready to lay eggs, the female will seal herself into a tree hole using mud, leaving a small hole through which she can receive food.