22Apr/24

Once planted, never run out of benefits

Blog Post

by Sidiq Harjanto

PPM mendolo team at the native tree nursery

The dry season in 2023, which is marked by the el-nino phenomenon, has an impact on water shortages in various regions. No exception was also felt by the community at our project site Mendolo Village, Lebakbarang District. In Mendolo Wetan Hamlet, the water supply through Pamsimas-Community based watter supply and sanitation program- for household needs is even insufficient. The water source on Mount Pawon is no longer able to irrigate about fifty houses. Fortunately, there are several small springs around the hamlet that still release water.

The people of Sawahan Hamlet, the majority of whom are durian farmers, are forced to fight for water to irrigate durian trees after the flowering season. If not followed by watering, young fruits may fall off without remaining. Some springs that appear in the grooves / tributaries that enter the Vishnu River have shrunk their discharge greatly due to the long drought.

Wisnu River itself is a body of water that divides Mendolo Village and is part of the Sengkarang Watershed. Being the lifeblood of the community, the existence of this river supports daily needs, supplies agricultural needs, and becomes a source of energy through micro hydro power plants.

Pangium tree seedlings

Drought conditions have thickened the determination of the people of Mendolo Village to carry out planting movements in open areas. The forest tree nursery program managed by the Mendolo Young Farmers Association produced around 200 Pangium seedlings (Pangium edule) which began planting since the beginning of this year. This breed was chosen for two main reasons. First, the shoots are excellent at maintaining water management. Most of the springs in Mendolo are sheltered among Pangium giant trees.

The second reason is that the seeds can be used and have economic value. Known as Kepayang fruit , Pangium  the seeds contain cyanide poison. Of course it is very dangerous if consumed directly. However, if processed correctly, the seeds are transformed into delicious preparations. People call it blibar. If fermented further for up to 40 days, kluwak, a typical black cooking spice used for local culinary  of java, such as  brongkos , gudeg, pindang tetel and rawon, used the kluwak for the main spice.

Create a wildlife  corridor

tress corrindor important for gibbons movements

By planting trees, many benefits can be reaped. Maintained water supply, for example. Trees have a function in protecting the soil from erosion and surface runoff, and are able to store water. Sustainable trees and forests are key to adequate water availability. Of course, there are many other benefits from planting trees and maintaining forests for our ecosystem.

Planting trees not only brings benefits to humans. Wildlife also benefits when the trees in the forest are still maintained.  In the context of Mendolo, planting trees is intended to create corridors so that primate populations and various other animals remain interconnected. Swaraowa strongly supports the  rehabilitation program of Vishnu River, considering that this area is also very important for various wildlife, such as: primates, birds, herpetofauna, fish, and many types of insects.

Javan Blue-banded Kingfisher by Siswanto, 2022

Inspired by a long-term community-based conservation program for howler monkeys in Belize (https://www.howlermonkey.org/), we facilitate farmers whose land is managed by rivers and tributaries to regreen their border areas. This boundary zone, as referred to above, will function as corridors that connect animal populations so as to avoid the threat of gene quality decline or genetic drift due to habitat fragmentation or isolation.

Furthermore, the community is expected to be an active part of the primate conservation movement itself. The forest area of Mendolo Village is a habitat for five species of Javan primates: Javan gibbon, Javan langur, rekrekan/ javan surili, long-tailed macaque, and Javan slow loris. With its rich primate species and growing awareness and community participation, the village has the potential to become a pioneer in the community-based primate conservation movement.

In addition to primates, the blue-collared kingfisher (Alcedo euryzona) is another priority species. This bird needs a river habitat shaded by natural forests. Habitat fragmentation and reduced vegetation cover pose serious threats to this species of bird with critically endangered status (CR). Therefore, caring for vegetation on river borders and rehabilitating open areas is a necessity in an effort to preserve this sensitive bird.

Beekeepers leads the movement

The  beekeeper community in Sawahan Hamlet pioneered this planting movement. Of the approximately 20 farmers who gave up their land to be planted, some were stingless bee cultivators. Ecosystem balance is an important issue for beekeepers. That’s where the spirit of planting emerges. Planting trees means providing habitat, feed, and other vital needs for bee survival.

In line with Sawahan residents, the Podo Dadi Forest Farmer Group of Mendolo Wetan Hamlet, most of whose members are also beekeepers and forest honey harvesters, also plans to carry out similar breeding and planting activities. Previously, beekeepers in Mendolo Wetan had identified more than 30 forest tree species that were important in supporting the beekeeping efforts they had pioneered. Some types of forest trees are most favored by bees, including: sarangan, kayu babi, and Ngasari all are local names.

The bee keeping program was initiated by Swaraowa in 2017, aiming to foster sustainable economic alternatives for communities living on the edge of forest areas. Beekeeping is also predicted to be a medium to increase public awareness about the importance of caring for forests. As the dominant pollinating insect, the existence of bee populations is very valuable for the sustainability of the forest ecosystem itself.

05Mar/24

Swaraowa’s participation in the World Wildlife Day celebration event

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World Wildlife Day Regional Youth Symposium 24-25 February 2024, Singapore

by Kurnia Ahmaddin and Nur Aoliya

World Wildlife Day (WWD) is a day to celebrate the diversity of wildlife throughout the world and commemorates the first signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on March 3, 1973. In the framework of this global celebration, the National Parks Board ( NParks) Singapore initiated the World Wildlife Day Regional Symposium event which highlights the wildlife of Southeast Asia. This event was organized by young people (under the age of 35 years) who are members of NParks’ Youth Stewards for Nature program. This annual agenda, which  started in 2022, and this year event was held on 24-25 February 2024 in Singapore. The event was attended by more than 300 participants, consisting of young people from the Southeast Asia region who were interested or currently studying and even involved in nature and wildlife conservation. Participants are also representatives from regional ASEAN member countries who were invited by the organizers. More than 10 conservation institutions from Indonesia were invited to take part in this symposium, including us two delegates representing Swaraowa.

The global theme of WWD 2024 is “Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation”. In accordance with this theme, this event has five main objectives, namely: 1) Building a conservation network for the younger generation in Southeast Asia. 2) Connecting young people with mentors in the field of wildlife conservation. 3) Increase international awareness of innovative conservation practices in Southeast Asia. 4) Highlight new digital solutions for monitoring and protecting wildlife. 5) Encourage environmental management and nature protection for the future. The event consists of seminars from experts working in the field of nature and wildlife conservation, focus group discussions, workshops and youth show cases.

The event on the first day began with an opening speech by the Ministry for National Development Singapore, Mr. Desmond Lee. The second speech was delivered by Dr. Sonja Luz who is the CEO of Mandai Nature and closed with a message delivered by Ms. Ivonne Higuero as Secretary General of CITES through a video specially made to open this event. The event continued with the first seminar session on biodiversity conservation assisted by technology. The first speaker was Mr Nguyen Van Thai from Vietnam who delivered a presentation on the use of camera traps, drones, SMART patrols and GPS trackers for wildlife monitoring patrols and poaching in Vietnam. The outline of the presentation is the use of camera traps equipped with signal amplifiers to monitor hunting in ‘real time’. He further talked about using a GPS tracker  to find whereabouts of pangolins, the tracker antenna was attached to the drone so that the search range was wider and faster than manual tracking relying only on humans.

The next speaker is Mr. Malcom Soh from the National Park Board Singapore presented on collecting data on wild animals and plants using camera traps and passive recording devices as well as efforts to prevent conflicts between humans and wild animals. The third speaker was Anton L. Delgado from the Pulitzer Center Cambodia. The big point in his presentation was the importance of using social media by young people in reporting or reporting on wildlife trade crimes in Cambodia. After lunch Ms Trang Nguyen from WildAct Vietnam and Ms. Reaksmey Luy from CEPA Cambodia talked about the importance of education and the role of women in protecting wildlife in their country. In closing the seminar session, Mr Alex Waisimon from Isyo Hill’s Eco-Tourism Papua Indonesia told us participants to balance the relationship between humans and wildlife. He talked about the process of changing bird hunters to become active bird watching tour guides in Papua.

Closing the first day of the event, all participants took part in a focus group discussion facilitated by youth biodiversity leaders from throughout ASEAN. The participants were divided into small groups of 10-12 people/groups and given certain scenarios where each person in the group had their respective roles as stakeholders. From this activity participants learned about the challenges and opportunities in involving stakeholders for biodiversity conservation.

On the second day, participants were free to choose which workshops were held, of which 10 workshops were available from institutions in Sigapura. Some of the workshops include a visit to Mandai Nature to see ex-situ bird conservation and find out how technology is used in the Singapore Zoo. Participants who are interested in coral reef conservation can also visit the workshop at the St John’s Island National Marine Laboratory (SJINML). Participants who are more interested in campaign activities can take part in workshops at the ArtScience Museum, WWF-Singapore Workshop, Global Youth Biodiversity Network Southeast Asia, and Nature Storytelling Workshop. We chose to take part in the Ethnobotany Workshop: Connecting People, Plants and Culture at the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the LKCNHM Workshop: Revealing Conservation Narratives through Taxonomy at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM).

The final event closed with a youth show case which was a presentation of conservation projects initiated by youth in the ASEAN region. The project appearance was in the form of a poster presentation and Indonesia presented two projects, namely from Nusa Biodiversitas Indonesia and PROGRES Sulawesi which presented community assistance activities in Lombok and Sulawesi. We also watched poster presenters from other countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. The event closed with a group photo of all participants who took part in the series of events.

We feel very fortunate to be part of this youth Symposium. This is because we gain new knowledge conveyed by seminar presenters and workshop facilitators, we can also increase our network of friends in Southeast Asia. The large number of young participants who attended was a glimmer of hope regarding regeneration and building a network for  biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia.

29Jan/24

Indonesian Bird Watchers Gathering : diversified conservation added value of Javan gibbon habitat

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By Arif Setiawan

bird friendly commodities, Durian in Mendolo

Mendolo is one of the villages that harbour unprotected gibbon population and habitat in central java. The last two years we working with the  youth farmers association (PPM Mendolo) to enhance protection of wildlife and habitat in surrounding the village. Birds become more enthusiastic where they have great fans and crazy birders. This reason we encourage to promote bird watching and bird photography as one of the nature tourism attractions that corresponds to the habitat protection that will secure gibbon populations.

The PPM Mendolo in collaboration with Swaraowa  just finished organizing national gathering for Indonesia birdwatchers. The event was held on January 19-21 2024, with two main event i.e symposium on first day  attended about 90 participants and guest speakers who talk about illegal bird trade and conservation captive breeding on some critically endangered species of Java, then next two days the activities were conducted in Mendolo villages. All participants are stayed and enjoy birds in Mendolo village-forest.

In this event we promotes Mendolo as alternative nature special tourism interest for wildlife enthusiast and promoting durian as agro-forest commodities as well. Durian trees that cultivated since long time ago, has provide special habitat for the birds and other wildlife including all Javanese primates.  This kind of habitat that could be potentially to help farmers with commodities and protecting animals through nature observation as well.

The arrival of guests with the specific aim of seeing wild birds became a special motivation for the residents, because not many people knew about their village and many of the birds were initially caught and kept, but apparently there were people who were interested in enjoying them in the wild.

Combining wildlife and commodities as nature potency for the village asset could be solutions for protection of gibbons in this area, where people get economic benefits through their agro-forest farming that provide wildlife corridors among fragmented habitats. This approach will continue to be developed in this region considering the biodiversity that still exists as a representative of lowland forests in the central part of Java Island.

Read here,  swaraowa’s team report on the 11th Gathering of Indonesian Birdwatchers in Mendolo.

 

27Dec/23

Biodiversity Monitoring: Collaborative Forum for Petungkriyono Forest Management

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by : Kurnia Ahmaddin

placement hunting prohibition signboard

One of the activities in order to strengthen the protection of the Petungkriyono forest area, through a collaborative management scheme, is this biodiversity monitoring activity which has been carried out throughout 2023. This activity involves related management parties, related agencies and representatives of local community in the Petungkriyono District area. (read the previous report here) .This Collaborative Forum is a mandate from the Decree of the Governor of Central Java for the management of essential ecosystem areas in Petungkriyono. Even though the KEE proposal seems to have changed its legal basis, swarowa takes an important role in continuing to activate existing collaboration forums to strengthen protection and  to build active communication with other forum members.

placement of pasive voice recorder for javan gibbon monitoring

Biodiversity monitoring activities are carried out by surveying forest routes and inviting related parties to jointly carry out surveys and forest patrols. This activity aims not only to increase capacity but also to inventory biodiversity using camera traps and passive recording devices

The monitoring team consists of BKSDA, Perhutani and Kayupuring village residents, supported by a technical team and equipment provided by swaraowa. This activity is carried out every month for four consecutive days. Monitoring of Javan Gibbons was carried out using the vocal-count triangulation method, by placing 3 groups of observers at three different points in the Sokokembang forest.

Monitoring results during 2023 are presented in the following table:

Description: IUCN Redlist status (NT=near threatened; VU=Vulnerable; EN=Endangered; CR=Critically Endangered.

The installation of hunting prohibition signs is also carried out as part of several locations where there are still risks of animal poaching, especially birds, but patrol activities are for forest security. According to the swaraowa team’s monitoring, this area still needs to be improved because at certain times hunting activities are carried out at night.

Mapping the location of encounters with animals, especially mammals, uses GPS and is mapped on the following Google Maps map.

18Dec/23

Integration of bees in food gardens: Women Beekeeper Program in Mendolo Village

Blog Post, ,

By : Sidiq Harjanto

The women of Sawahan Mendolo village learn together to cultivate stingless bee

Strengthening the role of women in every aspect of development needs to continue to be encouraged. Likewise in the field of environmental conservation. The involvement of women, based on many experiences in many countries, has been proven to increase the level of success of nature conservation efforts. In today’s discourse on gender and nature conservation, what is known as Eco-feminism has emerged which places women, with their feminine values, as the main axis of the movement. Unfortunately, this movement is still not very popular. On a community scale, a short-term strategy that can be taken is to encourage women’s involvement in a structured and organized manner. For example, you can start by providing space for existence in fields that are gender-identical to women, such as culinary, finance and family nutrition. Furthermore, a more radical transformation is needed with more dominant roles for women.

Also mainstreaming efforts to strengthen the role of women in conservation and sustainable management of natural resources, Swaraowa supported by Mandai Nature , Ostrava zoo and Fortwayne Children’s Zoo facilitates the women’s community in Mendolo Village to develop productive activities. One of our priority programs is bee cultivation which is integrated with food gardens.

bee hive boxes Tetragonula laeviceps a species of stingless bee

Stingless bee pollinate chili plants

This activity was initiated approximately a year ago. This year, an initiative emerged to create a collective food garden. In this garden, various food plants are planted, especially local plant species. The main function of this food garden is as a place to collect local food plants and as an educational medium for anyone.

On November 25 2023 we will again hold a workshop on cultivating beekeeping for women. Apart from deepening technical cultivation skills, this workshop also aims to achieve an understanding of the added value in the integration of food gardens with bee cultivation.

Brayan Urip Garden, collective community works in Sawahan, that combine beekeping and vegetable garden

Stingless bee cultivation for Mendolo women is intended for several purposes:

First, bee cultivation as an alternative source of income. Honey is an economically valuable product produced by bees and its marketing is relatively easy. sustainable income will reduce human pressure on forest habitat, that important for all endangered wildlife such as javan gibbons.

Second, produce honey as additional nutrition for the family. Not only is honey a commodity with economic value, it is an excellent nutrient for improving the nutritional quality of farming families.

Third, optimizing the role of bees as pollinating agents. As mentioned above, the cultivation of stingless bee by women in Sawahan hamlet is combined with food crops, some of which are greatly helped by bee pollination.

Fourth, Stinglessbee  as an educational medium. Klanceng bees provide a lot of inspiration in terms of organization or division of labor, leadership, and resource management. Mothers can use  bees as an educational medium for their sons and daughters.

Bees kept around agricultural areas provide benefits in the form of pollination services. Meanwhile, on the other hand, various types of plants provide food for bees in the form of nectar and pollen. Of course, combining bees and vegetable gardens requires an agricultural model that is free of chemicals that can kill bees.

this article translated from original blogpost in bahasa :https://swaraowa.blogspot.com/2023/12/integrasi-lebah-dalam-kebun-pangan.html

15Dec/23

Story from the field : Rekrekan (Presbytis fredericae) in Petungkriyono forest

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by : Arrayaana Artaka

Rekrekan ( Presbytis fredericae)

Hello world, I am Arra, a student from the Faculty of Forestry at the Malang Agricultural Institute, a small campus that many people may not know about. As a final year student, it is mandatory to complete a thesis. Luckily, I received a scholarship from SwaraOwa which was aimed at research with the title “Spatial Modeling of the Habitat Suitability of Rekrekan (Presbytis comata fredericae, Sody 1930) Using MaxEnt Analysis in the Petungkriyono Forest, KPH East Pekalongan”.

Rekrekan is the local name for  leaf eating monkey  Presbytis fredericae, monkeys belongs to colobine family,  endemic to Java, their natural distribution range in the central to western part of Java, in West Java it is known as surili. So regarding my research, “Modeling” is the process of creating a model or simple representation of a complex object or system. Modeling is used to understand and predict how a system works, and can assist in the development of new systems or improvements to existing systems. In the context of habitat modeling or habitat suitability, modeling is used to map the distribution of wildlife habitats, in my research the endemic Rekrekan was the object of my research.

So the aim of this research is to determine the suitability of the Rekrekan’s habitat and the variables that influence the prediction of the presence  in the Forest.  In simpler terms, habitat modeling is a way to predict where animals live and how they use their environment. Scientists use habitat modeling to understand how different species interact with their environment and how they might respond to changes in their habitat.

Since the title come out, a new adventure in my life has begun. For someone who has difficulty communicating with new people like me, this is a big challenge, especially as I, who can be said to be spoiled, this time have to do it myself, starting from preparing and sending proposals to the relevant agencies, to going through various roads based on GoogleMaps guidelines, less more than 425 Km or 13 hours of travel on my Beat “Pokoloko” motorbike.

Long  short story, my research was carried out for approximately 3 weeks, starting on April 8 2023, coinciding with the second week of fasting, then going home on April 15 2023 and returning again on May 7-20 2023. There are two types of data available, data on the presence of Rekrekan and environmental variable data . Data on the Rekrekan encounter was carried out by direct survey using the transect method to record the coordinates of each Rekrekan encounter. There are 8 routes used in this research, with each observation route 2 km long. Each group of Rekrekans that are encountered will be observed, then the time the Rekrekans were seen, the distance between the researcher and the Rekrekans, the coordinates of the encounter, the number of individuals and the type of habitat will be recorded.

1) Rekrekan Encounter (2) Primary forest (3). Primary forest near the river (4) Primary forest near the road (5) Rerekan food scars, young leaves of Bendo (Artocarpus elasticus) (6) Resting activity on the Mbulu so tree (Ficus depressa)

Based on the results of observations, 25 distribution points were obtained for the Rekrekan group with a total number of 80 individuals. The number of individuals in the group ranged from 2 to 7 individuals, some even observed only 1 individual (alone). The encounters of the Rekrekan group were found to be spread across primary, secondary and plantation forest types. In secondary forests, Rekrekan is often seen on roadsides or plantation borders, while in plantation forests it is often seen in pine plantation forest, albizia garden and durian agro-forests. The largest number of Rekrek encounters were found along the road, there are 5 encounter points with a total of 17 encounters. This is because the path along the road is easily accessible to observers, and there are many trees that serve as food for Rekrekan.

The distribution pattern of Rekrekan is influenced by the availability of food sources, the need for water sources and disturbance factors. The Rekrekan is a Folivorous animal that tends to like leaves, so that during observations, the Rekrekan group was found in several types of vegetation which are its natural food, namely: African wood (Meisopsis eminii), Beunying (Ficus fistulosa), Saninten (Castanopsis tungeureut), Mbulu krandang ( Ficus drupacea), Klepu (Nauclea orientalis), Bendo (Artocarpus elasticus), Dao (Drakontomelon dao) Hantap (Sterculia oblongata) Kesowo (Engelhardia serrata) and Gorang (Trevesia sundaica).

Meanwhile, collecting and processing data on environmental variables is done by creating a map that represents the character of the Rekrekan habitat. The variables chosen are elevation, slope, vegetation and  earth surface temperature. The information uses DEMNAS 64 bit with a resolution of 5-8 m, and Landsat-8 TM image data. These data were combined with Rekrekan  encounter data which was analyzed using the arcGis application.

Map of the results of modeling the suitability of the Rekrekan habitat in the Petungkriyono forest

In this study, the suitability of the Rekrekan habitat was classified into three classes,  high suitability, medium suitability and low suitability. According to the results of MaxEnt’s analysis, it was found that Rekrekan is spread across the Petungkriyono Forest. Based on the results of MaxEnt’s analysis, the suitability class of the Rekrekan habitat in Petungkriyono Forest, East Pekalongan KPH, covering an area of ​​2,658 ha (46%) is in the low category, covering an area of ​​1,562 ha (27%) is in the medium category and covering an area of ​​1,554 ha (26%) is in the high suitability category.

With this research, I hope that Rekrekan, in Petungkriyono Forest and its ecosystem will remain sustainable. This research also resulted in a delineation of areas deemed suitable for Rekrekan. With this delineation, it can be a consideration for managers to protect and secure the location, so that the management of the Rekrekan’s habitat can be carried out effectively and efficiently. The existence of delineation can also help the Petungkriyono Forest area managers in conducting surveys and monitoring of Rekrekan so that the number of wild  populations can be known well as well as efforts to increase the population.

Finally, I would like to thank SwaraOwa for support during my field works research. May all living creatures be happy on their own crazy adventures. To read the complete results of my research, you can download them here.

 

Salam lestari !

translated from original article in bahasa https://swaraowa.blogspot.com/2023/12/rekrekan-di-hutan-petungkriyono.html

 

09Dec/23

the 10th Swaraowa Gibbon Field Course – MSP X 2023

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On 22-26 November 2023, the 10th   in 2023 Primate Survey Method (MSP)  Training series known as Swaraowa’s gibbon field course was held, located at swaraowa’s field station,  in Sokokembang Forest, Petungkriyono district, of  Pekalongan Regency, Central Java.  MSP is an annual activity organized by Swaraowa in collaboration with the Primate study Group at Gadjah Mada University, and this year  national level participation representation of the presence of 9 species of gibbons in Indonesia,  Kalimantan regions, Sumatera regions, and Java, we selected from various NGO, Universities, and forestry government staff.

a Technical Meeting with participants  was held on November 19 2023 by zoom. On November 21 2023, participants departed simultaneously from their respective regions . In the evening , participants and activity committee members introduced themselves one by one while sharing stories about gibbons from their respective regions as well as conservation activities to preserve gibbons or other primates.

Salmah Widyastuti, introducing vocal count-triangulation methods for gibbon survey

The next morning,  23 November, officially started by the chairman swaraowa Arif Setiawan who introduce swaraowa and it’s conservation project in Pekalongan since 2012, and introducing history of MSP that first conducted in 2013 until MSP 2022 there are 180 alumni, some of them are now have been working as gibbons researchers, and in the primate or conservation related job

The 2023 MSP invited totally 21 participants nationally, selected based on recommendation by their lecturer for students, by director or senior officer for NGO staff and govt officials. From Sumatera : Sekolah tinggi ilmu kehutanan Pantekulu Aceh, YOSL-Orangutan information Center North Sumatera, Zoologi Museum Andalas University West Sumatera, Hutan Harapan -PT. Restorasi Ekosistem Indonesia-Jambi, Riau University,  Indo Global Mandiri University Palembang South Sumatera, and Malinggai Uma Mentawai, from Kalimantan : Ecositrop, Pustaka Tropis, Mulawarman University, Palangkaraya University, Fauna Flora International-West Kalimantan Project, from Java : Baraya Sanggabuana-Sanggabuana Wildlife Ranger, Biodiversity Society, Biolaska-Islamic university Yogyakarta, BKSDA (Central Java Nature Conservation Agency), Primate Study Group-Gadjah Mada University-Yogyakarta.

Nur Aoliya, give a talk on bioacoustic research on Javan gibbon

Fisrt talk an introduction to the gibbon population survey using the vocal count triangulation method  Dieng landscape, delivered by Salmah Widyastuti,  from IPB University who has just completed her doctoral promotion session. The vocal count triangulation method is  classic methods to calculate the density of the gibbons.

After a lunch break,  second talk on bio-acoustics and sound recognition of Javan gibbons, presented by Nur Aoliya, she is Swaraowa researcher who is currently studying for a master’s degree at IPB University with a thesis discussing the same topic, namely bioacoustics of Javan gibbons. These topic is relatively new for all participants.

field practice data collection on Listening Post, Ms, Yan Lu from china also joined in the field

placement pasive voice recorder for gibbon monitoring survey

In the evening, the participants who had been divided into three groups were gathered again to listen to the final lecture of the day about collecting voice data using the SM4 passive voice recorder which will be put into practice the next day by Kurnia Ahmaddin, biodiversity assistant of  Swaraowa. Data analysis on the presence of Javan gibbons was carried out using the great call sound from female Javan gibbons using the Raven Pro software.

Yan Lu- Cloud Mountain Conservation Foundation China, give her talk on Black Crested Gibbon and conservation in China

On the scond day, as an implementation of the previous day’s teaching, field activities were carried out which were divided into 3 Listening Posts (LP). to reach LPs we  starts simultaneously at 06.30 a.m to 10.00 a.m and pasive voice recorder SM4 is installed in the same time records in the same time periode with manual listening activities. The day’s activities continued with population data analysis using Google Maps Pro from the vocal count triangulation method, to map gibbon distribution by its calls.

In the evening, MSP guest lecture who invited from China, give a talk, Ms Yan Lu, co-founder Cloud Mountain Conservation Foundation and vice chair of IUCN SSA, she and her colleagues work on  Black-crested Gibbon (Nomascus hainanus), share her experience on gibbon conservation status in China and more detail on how’s her NGO working with local community to save Black-crested Gibbon.

doplak ride for primate watching

(video by Zhao Chao, Javan gibbon feeds on insect)

On the third day, all participants that have divided in three groups, doing same procedure data collection as previous days, started at 6.30 till 10.00 at LPs, records all gibbons vocalization that being heard. Participants guided by swaraowa’s team who have been conducted this methods since 2012 for gibbon survey in central java. At the end of time all team back to the field station remove all pasive voice recorders. Back at field station participants conducted data analysis based on two days data collection at LPs and basic analysis of vocalization which recorded at pasive voice recorder using raven software. Participants also write all these reports and prepare presentation talk that will be presented at the end of the session training.

participants visit beekeping (Apis cerana) learning center in the village

The fourth day, in the morning with all participants we conducted primate watching, to see all four primates in Sokokembang forest closely. Pick up truck, called Doplak was used to ride and standing observe primates along the road of sokokembang forest. Road in Sokokembang forest is the best way to spot all four primates species, they are semi habituated due to human, because this main road to Petungkriyono district, and people have already aware about these primates are protected. In less then two hours all four primates are spotted. Including gibbon morning calls and Javan surili who make loud alarm calls. Participants learn about four difference characters of primates in Sokokembang and free discussion among of them during priamate watching. During primate watching our colleague from China who join with us, spotted gibbon feed on insect, a very rare moment that gibbon usually eats more fruits.

project report and presentation among participants

classroom photo group with course tutor and guest lecturer

all participants photo group

After we did primate watching, all participants were visited one of swaraowa’s community beekeeping program, in Setipis village. In this village participants learn about how beekeeping helps community, pollinate crops and honey production. Beekeeping learning center was build collaborate with beekeeper  to promote beekeeping and conservation in the gibbon habitat.

And the last session for all participants is presentation talk, every group presenting their findings and result during research simulation to estimate gibbon population in Sokokembang forest. Closing for the MSP 2023, is durian party, king of fruits harvested freshly from agro-forest surrounding.

on behalf of swaraowa, we would like to thanks Fortwayne Children’s Zoo, Arcus Foundation, Ostrava Zoo and Chance for Nature, for all support to fund this training course, thank you to Perhutani KPH Pekalongan Timur and Govt of Pekalongan Regency and MSP2023 commitee, KP3 Primata and many people directly involved.

written by : Arif Setiawan, for article in bahasa read in blog https://swaraowa.blogspot.com

 

 

25Nov/23

Asian Bird Fair 2023: Promotion for bird and primate Eco-tour from Indonesia

Uncategorized, , ,

by Imam Taufiqurrahman

primavest booth at ABF 2023

The 2023 Asian Bird Fair (ABF) was held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, on 13-17 October. This annual event which lasts for five days carries the main activity in the form of an exhibition for bird ecotourists throughout Asia on October 14-15.

At the 12th ABF event, the organizers carried the theme “Birds and Children: Hand in Hand”. Datuk Christina Liew, Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, was present and officially opened the exhibition.

A total of 42 booths enlivened the event at the Sabah International Convention Center. The booths were mainly occupied by various bird tourism agents from countries in Asia, as well as several representatives from South America and Australia. Apart from that, there were also stands for supporting products in the bird industry, such as optical equipment and cameras.

Primavest also took part in the exhibition and was the only Indonesian representative booth. The mission is to introduce Primavest as an agency from SwaraOwa which offers various primate and bird tour package products, as well as products from SwaraOwa and Owa Coffee.

swaraowa’s conservation products at ABF 2023

The booth received quite good appreciation from visitors. Several agencies are interested in exploring the tour package products on offer, although they have not yet reached the booking or further collaboration stage.

In the exhibition, various forums and discussions, as well as activities for children enlivened the event. The key speaker presented was Noah Strycker, author of the book “Birding Without Borders”. Noah also shared his experiences traveling around the world to see as many types of birds as possible in one year. He underwent a ‘big year’, the term commonly used for this activity, in 2015. In his 365 day journey, the man from America was able to record encounters with more than 6,000 types of birds in 41 countries. A number that included 58.3% of the world’s total birds at that time.

Field Trip

field trip to Kinabalu park

As the end of the series of events, the committee held a bird watching trip on October 16. The trip starts from Kinabalu Park, a national park located at the foot of Mount Kinabalu. Participants were able to observe various types of interesting birds, such as the Bornean trogon and the madi-hijau whiteheaded . The two types endemic to Borneo are the highlight and are relatively easy to find.

The 2nd location took place at the Shangri-la Rasa Ria resort complex. At the location, there are various areas that are habitats for various animals, ranging from forests, beaches, to grasslands. This area can be managed well as a place to observe animals. Shangri-la Rasa Ria management also manages one area as a museum and information center about wildlife on site.

There are many benefits to be gained from involvement in ABF. First, this Asian event opens up wider opportunities to introduce Indonesian wildlife through the tour package products that are offered. Second, through ABF a wider network is opened to develop the wildlife ecotourism business. It is hoped that in the future, these opportunities and opportunities need to be continued by attending similar events, such as the 2024 Asian Bird Fair, which is planned to be held in the Philippines.

this article translated from original blogpost  https://swaraowa.blogspot.com/2023/11/asian-bird-fair-2023-promosi-wisata.html

 

15Nov/23

Story from the field : Javan lutung in Sokokembang forest

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Javan lutung ( Trachyipithecus auratus)

By : Intan Rachmadanti Al-Huda

I am students of forestry, University of sebelas maret Surakarta, I received swaraowa’s scholarship program to conduct research on Javan lutung. Here  I wrote my story from the field during my study. Field work observations were conducted from May to June 2023, we observed the population and distribution of Javan lutung in the Sokokembang forest, Petungkriyono, Pekalongan.

Javan lutung (Trachypithecus auratus) is an endemic animal to the islands of Java and Bali whose population has decreased in the last 36 years. Javan lutung  are protected primates listed in Indonesia law. Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List 2021, the lutung  is included in the Vulnerable. Meanwhile, according to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), the lutung is included in the Appendix II category. We made observations in the morning and evening during the active hours of the lutung. During our observations, we observed 11 groups  with a total of approximately 100 individuals spread across the Sokokembang forest.

Javan lutung with her baby

Not only the lutung, we also found other species during our observations. Rekrekan , the leaf eating monkey (Presbytis fredericae), Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch), and long-tailed mocaque (Macaca fascicularis) are primates other that we found in the Sokokembang forest. Apart from primates, there are also several other wildlife such as the Javan hawk eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi), wreathed hornbill (Rycticeros undulatus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), and deer (Muntiacus muntjak). While observing the Javan lutung, we also found footprints of a mammal which is thought to be a Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas).

Each group of lutung generally consists of adults, juveniles and infants. Newly born  have orange hairs which is very different from adult  which have black hair. At the time of observation, there were several individual orange babies that were in their mother’s arms. Apart from that, there were also young individuals that had changed color to black which were also observed with their mothers. In this observation, it was discovered that the number of adult individuals dominated the age structure of Javan lutung in the Sokokembang forest.

grooming on the branch

Javan lutung groups are uni-group (one male and multi female), that is, there is only one adult male individual who dominates and has the responsible of being the group leader who must supervise, protect and ensure that the group members are safe. Therefore, the Javan lutung is a polygamous primates because the number of females is greater than the number of males in one group. Based on our observations, Javan lutung in the Sokokembang forest consist of 3 to 23 individuals in each group. This happens because of differences in the regeneration abilities of each individual and the presence of different predators in each Javan lutung range in the Sokokembang forest. Javan langur is an arboreal primate that spends almost its entire life active in trees. Starting from eating activities to resting activities are also carried out on trees. We also observed Javanese langurs carrying out grooming activities on trees. Grooming is the activity of looking for and removing dirt or parasites from the surface of the skin and hair.

 

15Oct/23

Gibbon goes to school: conservation education activity for school children around the gibbon habitat

Blog Post, ,

by : Kurnia Ahmaddin

camping and introduction about wildlife conservation to students

The swaraowa team has carried out a series of visits to schools and villages around the gibbon habitat, during the period from May to October 2023 :

Senior High School ( SMA 1 Ma’arif Doro)

On May 30 2023, swaraowa visited SMA 1 Ma’arif, in Doro District, together with the supervising teacher and approximately 50 students, we introduced primates and other wildlife, especially wild birds, in the Sokokembang forest, which is only approximately 25 km from this school. This activity is packaged in a classroom atmosphere and field practice for observing bird species around the school.

introducing wildlife watching to kids

Children at  Sokokembang village

On August 27 2023, SwaraOwa together with postgraduate Biology students at Gadjah Mada University held an exploration activity entitled “Learning closer to nature”. This activity is aimed at elementary school students in Sokokembang Hamlet, Kayupuring Village, Sokokembang, Petungkriyono. The aim of this activity is to increase children’s awareness of the forest and the surrounding environment. There are three main objects for exploration, namely birds, butterflies and dragonflies.

The complete report on this activity can be read here: https://swaraowa.blogspot.com/2023/09/school-eksplorasi-ke-1.html

group photo with students participants SMA 1 Batang

Senior High School ( SMA 1 Batang)

On September 30 and October 1, the swaraOwa team carried out conservation education activities for the nature lover group Gasmapala senior high school SMA 1 Batang. Located in Welo Asri, Kayupuring village there are 33 students accompanied by 4 teachers. The aim of this activity is to introduce wild animals and provide the basics of techniques for observing wild animals, especially primates and birds.

The event on the first day included class presentations and discussions, then students became increasingly curious about the wildlife in the Petungkriyono forest. Responding to students’ curiosity, on the second day from 7.30 to 11.00, we and the students observed wildlife around Welo Asri. We divided the team into 4, with the help of Welo Asri’s friends, we accompanied them while conducting observations in the field. At the end of the session, as usual, students are given assignments to present to each group. The results of the students’ presentations were quite good in explaining the physical characteristics of the animals they encountered, starting from the Javan Langur (Trachypithecus auratus) and several types of birds, namely Pelangi Pentis (Prionochilus percussus), Fire-flowered Chili (Dicaeum trigonostigma) and Kutilang Cucak (Pycnonotus aurigaster). Finally, suggestions from SMA 1 Batang teachers are that they hope that every semester there will be joint activities with Swaraowa.

This school visit activity is not only intended to disseminate conservation messages to school-age children, but also serves as a means of increasing the team’s capacity and increasing experience in communicating conservation activities to school children. Our team also involves local residents who usually take part in research or monitoring activities, they become direct companions for the children, most of whom are also their neighbors. reducing the feelings  of shy among kidswho are usually not to brave to interact directly with people they don’t know, for the team of local residents at least this motivates them to do something for the village and the people closest to them in the school environment.