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Our Projects

OIC consists of three main divisions: Conservation, Education, and the OranguVan Mobile Awareness Unit (MAU), all of which are supported by the Information Development and Production division. However, as all of our work runs on the same theme: working to save the Sumatran orangutan and its rainforest ecosystem from further degradation – often our programmes (and people!) work inter-connectedly.

Conservation Division

  • Gunung Leuser National Park Rehabilitation/Reforestation Programme

Efforts to halt the expansion of plantations in the Leuser Ecosystem are urgently needed, including the reforestation of forest areas that have already been illegally encroached upon. OIC supports local initiatives to protect forests, in this case the Gunung Leuser National Park, through the reforestation of degraded land in the park buffer zone. We involve local indigenous communities to manage the replanting of thousands of indigenous tree seedlings inside the park area.

The objectives of the programme are to :

  • Provide local communities with specific educational and practical training programs on tree propagation and nursery management.
  • Promote organic farming techniques (using organic compost and without using pesticides) to support sustainable development in a way which is ecologically friendly.
  • Implement capacity-building activities in local communities to increase ownership and responsibility towards the sustainable management of the National Park.
  • Communicate the urgency of the conservation of Sumatran orangutans to local communities living adjacent to orangutan habitat.
  • Inform local communities about the importance of protecting the integrity of the natural forest, both as Sumatran orangutan habitat, and as providing valuable ecological services of benefit to themselves.
  • Rehabilitate areas of the Gunung Leuser National Park which have been degraded as a result of illegal agricultural encroachment by replanting with indigenous tree species.
  • Provide an on-going supply of seedlings to support reforestation and re-greening efforts in the Gunung Leuser National Park.
  • Establish community forestry schemes in target areas to reinforce National Park buffer zones and provide sustainable alternative incomes for communities living adjacent to the park.

As this programme is ongoing and still needs support, contributions of any amount are welcomed!

  • Tree Nursery development and maintenance on-site at the Orangutan Information Centre Office

Tree seedling production and maintenance, as well as their eventual distribution, have become a core activity of the OIC. From 2007-2008, 6,792 seedlings were distributed to and planted by schools and 3,407 given to local communities and organisations requesting tree seedlings.

In addition to planting trees to support environmental rehabilitation, the OIC also distributes seedlings to local people so that they can be planted wherever they themselves choose. As well as to villages in general, the OIC also distributes 10 seedlings to each school during every school visit. The species commonly distributed are mahogany, tamarin, durian, tanjung, kere payung, rambutan, and lengkeng, all of which are originally produced and maintained in the tree nursery at the OIC office.

  • Conservation Savings Programme

This programme develops community ‘forestry centers’ to be used for the production of seedlings to support reforestation projects within villages and in their surrounding areas. The CSP demands a high level of local participation as it involves planting and ‘re-greening’ schools and community land. Therefore, this programme formally links the local people with the schools and has them work together towards a common goal. Thus far this newly designed programme has been conducted in the two subdistricts of Deli Serdang and Karo, held in 8 schools and 4 villages, with each region developing its own tree nursery with input and knowledge provided from OIC staff. These areas are directly linked to the conservation area of Taman Hutan Rakyat (Tahura) Bukit Barisan, which serves as a large water catchment area. All of the starter seedlings are made available through the OIC’s tree nursery programme.

Education Division

  • School Conservation Programme

The School Conservation Programme supports the development of sustainable environmental practices by highlighting the importance of orangutan habitat for ecological services and how the community can benefit through participating in conservation efforts. The programme focuses on students in secondary and senior high schools located throughout North Sumatra. The OIC works in conjunction with the regional ministry of education as well as the locally run Conservation and Communication Cadre Forum. List of schools visited

Additional components of the school visit programme:

  • Conservation Camps

Conservation camps are designed to inspire school children to become actively involved in learning about and caring for their environment. This is one of our best-loved programmes as students are not offered this kind of training at their schools or universities.

The camp also gives teachers the chance to receive training in communicating environmental messages so that the next generation will see the value in protecting their environment.

The conservation camp is an extension of the school visit programme, held in an outdoor venue and attended by many different schools. The camps

allow for students from neighboring areas to meet and discuss conservation issues, as well as watch environmental films and attend conservation education courses held by OIC staff. The camp is primarily designed to allow for more practical activities for the students and their teachers to participate in, such as hands-on training of paper recycling, compost production and application, and tree nursery development. List of school consevation camp

  • Orangutan Festivals

The orangutan festival is a grander version of the more regularly held conservation camps. The activities conducted included: film screenings, focus group workshop discussions, tree planting, environmental poetry and song composition and recitation, essay and opinion sharing activities for teachers.

  • Orangutan Friends Club

The “Orangutan Friends Club” (OFC) is designed to instill a sense of pride in young Indonesians about their environment and its unique inhabitants, especially the orangutan. The club consists of students from every school level, and currently has over 800 members. Members hold regular meetings to discuss current environmental issues and to plan awareness-raising activities amongst their peers.

  • Orangutan Caring Scholarship

This programme has been running since March 2006 in collaboration with the Orangutan Republik Education Initiative (OUREI). To date, eight Indonesian students from local universities have been awarded funding. Students were selected from essays and proposals submitted from the forestry and biology departments from the University of North Sumatra as well as from the biology department of UNIMED University.

The scholarship covers the full four years of tuition needed for each student, as well as a stipend for orangutan/habitat-related research. At the moment there are two awarded students in the research phase of their degrees, with the remaining six students still in the lecture stage. In 2007 five students were awarded the Orangutan Caring Scholarship.

OranguVan Mobile Awareness Unit (MAU) Division

The OranguVan fleet allows for our education programmes to be taken throughout the region, and has been operating in North Sumatra since 2006. The OranguVan travels to schools and communities to present information and environmental education materials.

  • Village Visits

This programme is targeted at local community members, children, and government officials living adjacent to orangutan habitat in the Langkat, Deli Serdang, and Dairi subdistricts of North Sumatra.

The programme consists of the following events:

Environmental Film Screening

Film presentations on current issues of nature conservation and wildlife protection efforts were made to a number of schools and communities. This is an effective method of presenting information as the audio-visual nature of the media can bring the forest/situation to whichever venue the film is being screened. Thereafter the viewers are made more aware of the plight of the forests and more cause for concern and action is garnered.

  • Orangutan Caring Week

Orangutan Caring Week is an annual campaign (initiated by the Orangutan Republik Eduation Initiative and carried out by the Sumatran Orangutan Education Consortium, of which the OIC and OUREI are members) intended to increase the Indonesian public’s awareness of issues of nature and wildlife conservation.

Orangutan Caring Week 2007 took place from 4 – 10 November, during which time the OIC had a week-long presence at 4 universities and also in the Sun Plaza in Medan, North Sumatra. OIC staff and Orangutan Friends Club members presented information on orangutans and their current conservation situation throughout the week.

  • Palm Oil Roadshow

This is a fairly new, independent programme of the MAU team, specifically designed for plantation communities.

The roadshow is meant to educate plantation farmers who have had or may experience conflict with Sumatran orangutans and other wildlife. Local farmers are taught about mitigation methods that can be used to reduce any potential human-wildlife conflict. The roadshow also serves to increase the knowledge of Indonesian communities about the conservation status of orangutans, which only live in Indonesia and Malaysia – thus orangutans can serve as symbols of national heritage and pride for all Indonesians.

Information Division

Information materials are created in-house and distributed throughout North Sumatra and Aceh. In addition, news of our campaign as well as the OIC’s other conservation programmes are released in newspapers, so that people would be updated on the current conservation situation as well as the work being done to try and make a positive difference.

  1. Brochures : 9,000 copies
  2. Posters : 6,000 copies
  3. Pins/Badges : 4,000 units
  4. Wall Calendars : 3,000 units
  5. Writing books : 20,000 units
  6. Large orangutan banner displayed in the Sun Plaza, Medan
  7. Standing banners to be used at our various events :12 units
  8. Newsletters and Bulletins – 8,000 copies
  • Documentary Films

Two documentary films were produced in conjunction with SOI (Sources of Indonesia), a Medan-based documentary film producer, for distribution in Sumatra entitled ‘Orangutan Goes to Campus’ and OIC Orangutan Festival 2007′. These covered the events held for the commemoration of World Environmental Day in Deli Tua, Kabupaten Deli Serdang and Stabat Kabupaten, Langkat. The short films give environmental messages through documenting the conservation activities held.

  • Orangutan Information Gallery and Library

OIC has compiled a wealth of conservation information and made it accessible to the public through creating the Orangutan Information Gallery and Library, located in the OIC project headquarters in Medan. The gallery displays information about Sumatran orangutan and other information about environmental issues such as global warming, illegal logging, oil-palm plantations, poaching, illegal wildlife trade etc.

  • The Nature Conservation Handbook

A handbook tilted “Indonesian Nature Conservation” was distributed to teachers to be used when teaching nature conservation to their students. The handbook is comprised of a collection of scientific articles made by teachers contracted from Kabupaten Deli Serdang as well as OIC education staff. The Environmental Ministry and the Regional Ministry of Education in Kabupaten Deli Serdang officially endorsed the book during the commemoration of World Environmental Day 2006.

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