Seeking to unify the fragmented and limited conservation efforts currently underway in Borneo and Sumatra, Dr. Raffaella Commitante of the Orangutan Conservancy (OC) will make a case for effective partnerships with a paper entitled, “Methodology for Conservation: The Collaboration and Implementation to Succeed,” which she will present at the “Man of the Forest: Orangutan and the Future of Humanity” conference to be held July 15-16 in Bali, Indonesia.

Dr. Commitante’s paper, which she wrote in collaboration with OC president Norm Rosen, makes clear that the highly individualized work currently underway cannot continue.

“Without a commitment for implementation, all the concepts, all the money, and all the people involved will not achieve the common goal, which in this instance is, to prevent orangutan extinction,” the paper states.

The “Man of the Forest” conference is hosted by the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA), Ministry of Forestry, and the Indonesian Orangutan Forum (FORINA.

Commitante (pictured at left) and Rosen’s presentation will call for a fresh perspective on the extinction crisis currently facing not only orangutans, but virtually every species of animal life in Indonesia. They believe that unless conservation agencies, donors, and governments pool their resources, the disappearance of important mammals, birds, reptiles and fish – let alone their habitats – will continue.
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The Orangutan Conservancy (OC) underscored its commitment to education and capacity development by selecting Reza Yogapermana of Indonesia as the inaugural winner of the Orangutan Conservancy Scholarship, which funds students dedicated to biodiversity education programs.

Yogapermana will enroll in environmental engineering studies at Trisakti University in Jakarta.

Yogapermana, 25, spent the past three years working in orangutan conservation in Borneo, but became alarmed at the rapid destruction of Indonesia’s rainforests to make way for oil palm plantations.

“This destruction has got to stop and the only way to begin is to start from ones self,” said Yogapermana. “I believe that development can be achieved at the same time with nature preservations.”
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