All posts by SwaraOwa

16Nov/21

Caring for Our Natural Heritage: Mendolo Forest

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a gibbon, photoghraped by Hudi member of Mendolo youth farmers group

Mendolo village is located in the Lebakbarang sub-district of Pekalongan Regency. The Mendolo forest surrounds Mendolo village, and is officially a Limited Production Forest managed by Perum Perhutani, KPH Pekalongan Timur. This site contains one of the 16 critical areas of gibbon habitat in Central Java identified by a 2012 study, and boasts a high level of habitat suitability according to research on the distribution and habitat of gibbons (Widyastuti et al 2020, Setiawan et al. al 2012). SwaraOwa’s long-term projects in this area are all aimed at conserving the Javan gibbons that live here.

According initiate survey, the amount of potential Javan gibbon habitat in this region totals approx 300 ha, (equivalent to 87 football fields) with a gibbon four to six groups in the agro-forest habitat, that we called Wana-Tani in javanese language. other javan endemic primates such as Javan langur ( Trachypithecus auratus), Javan Surili ( Presbytis comata), and Javan slow loris ( Nycticebus javanicus) also occupied this habitat.  Their range comprises locations with natural vegetation of forest and shade grown commodities such as kopi robusta, Durian,Petai, Jengkol, banana, kapulaga,  and many more. A scheme which aims both to improve the local economy and promote agroforestry is a gibbon conservation project centered on this village.

SwaraOwa first became involved in Mendolo village in 2015, when we were tasked with assisting the Pekalongan district government in surveying and inventorying the protected flora and fauna of the Mendolo forest, among other sites . Nowadays, we pay this village a visit almost every month. These visits are part of our efforts to reach out and communicate with village residents, so that we can find out which local commodities in particular can be prioritised for further development.

Mendolo village is also known for its durian production. In areas where agroforestry is practised, durian is an intensively cultivated crop that is grown among wild trees valued for their wood. In the harvest season, this village supplies the durian markets of Pekalongan and surrounds. Although there is currently no research on how durian productivity relates to bio-ecological factors, there are indications that the presence of pollinators plays a role, more specifically bats and  insects such as bees. Honey is one commodity  related to durian agroforestry, being harvested in abundance when the durian trees flower.

Drinking honey, is daily activities for Mendolo villagers

Almost all residents of this village, especially the men, collect honey from the forest. This tradition has been passed down through the generations. Aside from being used for personal consumption, forest honey also contributes to the local economy. We had previously done a preliminary study to find out what potential harvesting forest honey held for this village. This study motivated the Beekeeping team, led by SwaraOwa’s Sidiq Harjanto, to start seriously experimenting with stingless bee.

The Mendolo Young Farmers Association is the driving force for conservation in Mendolo, fostering a spirit of togetherness and inculcating pride in the Mendolo forest. In the early days, meetings in Mendolo village and training sessions on post-harvest handling at SwaraOwa Yogyakarta eventually gave rise to a series of continually evolving projects spearheaded by young people in Mendolo. The project to enhance post-harvest processes for coffee has succeeded in establishing “Kopi Batir”, a small exercise in entrepreneurship that markets Robusta coffee beans grown in Mendolo. The project operates under the slogan ‘nepungaké seduluran’, Javanese for ‘forging strong friendships’, reflecting how this coffee aims to bring people together.

Orange minivet

Projects to promote the conservation of forest areas are emerging at a slow but steady pace, initiated by residents concerned about nature. Birdwatching activities have been and are being developed in Mendolo. These aim to promote the idea that birds and other flora and fauna around the village are an important asset that must be preserved because they promise locals significant economic and ecological benefits.

Activities to strengthen the protection of forest areas but must continue to be nurtured, initiatives from local community  to care for nature. Primates and birds observation activities are being developed in Mendolo (the photos above are some of the species encountered during the observation) the aim is To increase the capacity of the younger generation, recognize the important liars’ lives around the village, birds and flora and fauna are also village assets that must be preserved, it is not possible that they can then be economically more sustainable.

Some of the products from activities in Mendolo hamlet can be obtained through Batir Coffee and Owa coffee. Although still on a small scale, coffee and forest cultivated by local residents can help motivate residents around the forest and support gibbon conservation activities and forest conservation in the Mendolo forest area and its surroundings.

This field reports, part of Coffee and Primate Conservation Project 2021, written by Arif Setiawan in bahasa, and translated by TT Chan,   supported by Fortwayne Children’s Zoo, Mandai Nature, and Ostrava Zoo.

 

 

28Aug/21

Fabric Scraps for Conservation

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“This patchwork tote bag is made of fabric scraps from the garment industry in Pekalongan. Sokokembang is a hamlet in Pekalongan located right next to forests that are home to the Javan Gibbon. Some residents there sew at home for a living or work at a textile factory. SwaraOwa are currently helping several residents in Sokokembang to transform leftover fabrics and discarded materials from the garment industry into useful recycled products. Not only does this contribute to their livelihoods, it also reduces plastic waste and promotes the conservation of the Javan Gibbon.”

The garment industry is one of the foremost drivers of the local economy in Pekalongan. From the city, the textile supply chain stretches all the way to even the most remote villages near the forest. It all starts with cutting fabrics, sewing, attaching buttons and zips, then moves on to screen printing and colouring, sometimes using traditional batik-producing techniques that have been passed down through the generations.

In Sokokembang, one of the hamlets closest to the gibbon forests in the area, activities powering the garment economy are very much present, and have been at least since we first visited in 2006. Such activities form the main source of livelihood for 45% of families here, who contribute to the apparel supply chain by sewing parts of clothing. Other villagers grow various crops or rear livestock in their gardens and the forest. From when we started our projects in Sokokembang up until 2014, villagers engaged in sewing did not do this work at home, instead using the sewing machines and materials at their employer’s place. They worked most days, only having Fridays off.

Garment workers are crucial to the local economy, sustaining those who live around the forest. However, because of the nature of their work, they are generally not as intimately familiar with forest trees and animals as those villagers who enter the forest more frequently. They sometimes even describe Javan Gibbons as having tails! Gibbons, after all, are rarely seen. What these workers do know well is how gibbon calls sound, because these can be heard loud and clear every morning.

Noticing this, the Indonesian wildgibbon team braved the pandemic and tried to find ways of connecting gibbons to garment manufacturing, the sector that provides much of the jobs in Pekalongan. Seeing leftover scraps of fabric everywhere, mostly wasted, the team tried to bring Sokokembang hamlet a solution to this problem.

The solution came in the form of cloth bags. Making them involves villagers who already sew for a living. They form patterns using unwanted fabric scraps and connect them into a highly practical multi-purpose bag. This process is relatively uncomplicated and can be done on the sidelines of everyday sewing. To get the younger generation involved in Sokokembang, they were briefly trained by residents who were already proficient in sewing. After being given the finishing touches by the wildgibbon team, the bags look as illustrated, bearing the logos of Owa Coffee and Sokokembang.

At SwaraOwa, we firmly believe that conservation projects cannot succeed without being made to benefit local communities. Although not without its challenges, this project is just such an attempt to marry conservation activities with fostering an entrepreneurial spirit among locals — all proceeds will go towards supporting forests and livelihoods. By closely collaborating with the locals, we aim to make protecting nature and boosting the local economy one and the same cause, and hope that making conservation pay will encourage further conservation activities in the region and beyond.

 

written by : Elna Novitasari Br.Ginting dan Arif Setiawan, translated by TT Chan

19Jun/21

Primate Survey Method Training Program : Building capacity for young primatologist

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written by Arif Setiawan, translated by TT Chan

The Primate Survey Methods Training Programme was held for the eighth time in May 2021, after having been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. As in previous years, this was a collaboration with the Primate Study Group of Gadjah Mada University’s Faculty of Forestry. The Primate Survey Methods Training Programme, which we will refer to as PTP for short, aims to revitalise primate research, introduce basic primate survey techniques and create a network of primate conservation activists, all with a special focus on gibbon conservation.

The first PTP was held in 2013, with the initial goal of increasing the number of researchers and conservationists in Central Java. Between 2013 and 2019, 146 participants successfully completed the programme (see Table 1). Today, these PTP alumni are spread across different regions. Several of them are currently pursuing careers in primate and gibbon-related fields. They have started primate conservation projects encompassing tracts of gibbon habitat which had previously not been protected.

The training given in the PTP focusses primarily on a method of estimating the population  density of Javan gibbons using triangulation sistem, line transects and vocal counts. The programme usually lasts three days, with one day for classes and two for field practice. All editions of the PTP so far have taken place in Sokokembang hamlet (Kayupuring Village, Petungkriyono District).

Training sessions are complemented by presentations by guest speakers, who share their experience doing research or primate conservation. Among the speakers invited during previous rounds of the PTP is Dr Bosco Chan (Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong), who has done fieldwork on the Hainan gibbon – the rarest in the world – and visited in 2018. We  also invited researcher Dwi Yandhi Febrianti, who works on the Celebes crested macaque (Macaca nigra) in North Sulawesi. In 2017 we have invited Dr. Andie Ang, raffle’s banded langur working group and Indonesian javan gibbon researcher, Rahayu Oktaviani as guest lecturer. We hope that the experiences of our invited researchers will inspire participants to embark on careers involving researching or conserving primates in Indonesia.

The PTP this year has had to be modified a little due to the pandemic. In addition to reducing the number of participants, we added a webinar before the main event at Sokokembang. This webinar, held on 22 May 2021, gave our guest speakers the opportunity to remotely address our 60 participants on various issues, which would normally have been presented live. Our first speaker, Dr Joe Smith, works as director of the animal programme at Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. He talked about some activities at the zoo that contributed to ex-situ conservation initiatives and the role of Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo in gibbon conservation in particular. Our second guest speaker was Nur Aoliya, a primate researcher from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) who is researching the bioacoustics of Javan gibbons in the Dieng Mountains. For those of you who did not have time to attend this webinar, you can watch the recording on YouTube.

After the webinar, the PTP commenced in the Sokokembang forest, with 15 participants who had previously been selected based on a letter of motivation and their involvement in past and future projects relating to gibbons or other primates. In addition to those selected, there were three invited participants at this year’s PTP from Siberut. They represent a project on the Dwarf siamang, endemic to the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra.

This year’s PTP focused on training participants in the vocal count triangulation method, which we had two days to try out in the Sokokembang Forest. This is a method commonly used to survey gibbon populations. Nur Aoliya, the gibbon researcher from IPB we mentioned above, was in charge of introducing participants to the vocal count method. She had previously also received SwaraOwa’s Kopi Owa scholarship.

On our first day in the field, we selected sites called listening point from where we intended to listen out for gibbon calls the next day.  We also did primate watching tours on the forest road that have been used regular monitoring. Its easy to spot all primates species that have been habituated to humans. In choosing our sites, we took into account how well we could hear forest sounds at each place and the topography of the Sokokembang Forest. In total, we settled on three listening points spaced around 500 m apart. On the same day, we also gave participants a feel of the primate diversity in Sokokembang, teaching them how to identify the different species and quickly estimate the number of individuals in each group they come across.

On the second day, we did a vocal count using the three listening points we had chosen the day before. Based on the loudness and direction of the calls, we estimated the positions of the gibbons. Each of the three sites was manned by one team of participants from 6.30 to 11.00am. All gibbon calls were recorded on specially prepared observation sheets. The data from each observation point was later analyzed to estimate gibbon abundance in the area covered. The advantage of using three listening points (triangulation) was that we could more accurately determine where each gibbon was calling from.

Over the three days of the programme, our participants managed to record the highest number of direct encounters (during priamate watching trip)  with primates in the Sokokembang Forest so far compared to previous years: 30 individuals belonging to four species (Javan gibbon, Javan surili, Javan lutung and Long-tailed macaque). Towards the end of the programme, each team also presented the observational data they collected from the vocal count and an analysis of gibbon density.

We hope that the PTP 2021 has given all participants a good assortment of experiences in the field and a basic understanding of the methods used in gibbon surveys, as well as reached out to those in the younger generation interested in primate research, especially that relating to gibbons.

The Primate Survey Methods Training Programme 2021 was made possible by support from Mandai Nature, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and Ostrava Zoo. Our thanks are also due to Perhutani Pekalongan Timur and the Kayupuring Village Government, Petungkriyono District, Pekalongan Regency.

02May/21

Semangat Baru dari Sipora, Menjaga Alam dan Budaya

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Oleh : Damianus Tateburuk ( Malinggai Uma Mentawai)

Kebudayaan dan keanekaragaman hayati daerah di Indonesia terwujud dalam beragam bentuk kegiatan dan aktivitas dalam kelompok masyarakat di berbagai daerah di Indonesia, dan ini ditandai dengan beragam hasil karya dari berbagai kelompok masyarakat budaya yang menunjukkan ciri khas kebudayaanya masing-masing, sebagai contohnya antara lain jenis rumah adat, tarian, musik, seni ukir, pakaian adat, dan bersamaan dengan keanekaragam hayati contohnya antra lain jenis alam, hutan, primata, burung, herpetofouna dan sebagainya, dan secara keseluruhannya kekayaan alamnya masih asli dan bahasa dan lain-lainnya. Seperti yang ada di Mentawai ini, bahwa kebudayaan hidup didalam  jiwa masyarakat bangsa Indonesia dan perlu dilihat sebagai suatu aset negara melalui pemahaman dan lingkungan, tradisi serta potensi-potensi kebudayaan yang dimiliki untuk dapat diberdayakan untuk dapat mencapai tujuan pembangunan nasional.

Seni Kebudayaan Dan Konservasi Keanekaragam Hayati yang merupakan salah satu bentuk kearifan lokal di Sumatra Barat, khususnya di Kepulauan Mentawai dikembangakan dalam satu wadah atau perkumpulan dengan menejemen yang sederhana, Wadah atau tempat berkumpulnya pelaku seni kebudayaan dan konservasi keanekaragam hayati biasanya dinamakan perkumpulan, Dari sekian banyaknya organisasi, yayasan, lembaga, pemerintahan dan organisasi ini yang berada di Sumatra Barat, salah satunya adalah Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai.

Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai pusat bersekretariat di Dusun Puro II Desa Muntei Kecamatan Siberut Selatan Kabupaten Kepulauan Mentawai–Sumatra Barat. Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai ini merupakan sarana bagi berkembangnya  dan pelestarian kebudayaan dan konservasi keanekaragam hayati khususnya, Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai dibentuk pada tanggal  05 September 2014 dan untuk memberikan fasilitasi kepada masyarakat umum dalam hal di bidang seni kebudayaan  Konservasi keanekaragam hayati dan satwa liar dan primata mentawai, Adat Istiadat Mentawai, semoga Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai dapat menjadi tempat / wadah untuk menggali tentang Kebudayaan dan keanekaragam hayati, yang mulai memudar khususnya dikalangan remaja dikarenakan ketidak pedulian masyarakat itu sendiri untuk memperkenalkan kebudayaan dan keanekaragam hayati mentawai tersebut kepada generasi penerus mereka dan pengaruh budaya asing serta kurangnya wadah bagi mereka untuk mengetahui budaya asli mereka sendiri dan ini sangat memprihatinkan sekali, bagi kami sehingga organisasi atas nama Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai sangat berharap dan berkeinginan penuh dengan berdirinya organisasi ini dapat membantu masyarakat untuk mengetahui, menggali serta memahami tentang nilai-nilai seni dan kebudayaan dan serta keanekaragam hayati mentawai dan serta perlindungan satwa dari jenis-jenis primata (Bilou, Simakobu, Simakubu simabulau, Joja, Bokkoi, herpetofouna dan burung-burung mentawai dan sebagainya) yang sekarang ini sudah mulai dilupakan. Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai juga tidak menutup bagi masyarakat diluar mentawai ataupun dari mancanegara untuk mendapatkan informasi tentang kebudayaan dan keanekaragam hayati yang ada di mentawai. Selain itu Malinggai Uma Tradisional Mentawai juga akan terus mengadakan kegiatan seminar-seminar dan pelatihan tentang Kebudayaan dan keanekaragam hayati kedepannya, kegiatan yang telah kami lakukan sebelumnya yaitu “Seminar Pangureijat” (Pernikahan Adat Mentawai), (Pergelaran Seni Budaya Mentawai) (dan Turuk Laggai di Padang), (Pelatihan Guru Dan Fasilitator Sekolah Budaya Mentawai).

Bulan April tanggal 7-8, 2021 yang lalu kami juga telah berhasil melaksanakan sebuah acara pelatihan untuk anak-anak sekolah usia sekolah menengah atas di Dusun Goisooinan, Sipora. Berjudul “ Pelatihan Pengamatan Satwaliar dan Penggunaan Smartphone untuk Promosi Konservasi”.  Kegiatan yang didukung oleh SWARAOWA dari Yogyakarta dan Fortwayne Children’s Zoo dari Indiana Amerika Serikat. Latar belakang acara ini adalah semakin susahnya kita menjumpai satwa-satwa asli mentawai dan generasi muda semakin jauh dari rasa memiliki kekayaan alam mentawai, beberapa daerah khususnya di Mentawai juga sudah bagus sinyal telekomunikasi, dan anak-anak ini hampir setiap hari menggunakan gawai. Oleh karena itu potensi generasi muda mentawai ini perlu di dorong dengan pengalaman-pengalaman lapangan yang memang tidak dapat di sekolah, bagaimana mendokumentasikan alam sekitar mereka dan membuat cerita untuk oranglain supaya lebih tertarik, ataupun mengenalkan diri mereka dan budaya mentawai. Peserta acara ini adalah 15 orang  anak-anak usia SMA, 10 Orang darai Sipora dan 5 orang dari Siberut, terdiri dari 7 anak perempuan dan 8 anak laki-laki. Acara dilaksanakan 2 hari, dengan susunan acara 1 hari materi kelas dan 1 hari ke hutan. Pemateri yang di undang dalam acara ini adalah dari Birdpacker indonesia, organisasi konservasi burung dari Malang Jawa timur, ada mas Waskito Kukuh dan mbak Devi Ayumandasari, yang akan menyampaikan materi tentang pengamatan burung dan penggunaan smarphone untuk fotografi dan promosi konservasi melalui sosial media. dan tentang primata disampaikan oleh mbak Eka Cahayningrum dari SwaraOwa organisasi konservasi primata dari Yogyakarta yang berkerja untuk konservasi Owa Indonesia.

 

Hari pertama acara kelas di buka oleh Ketua Malinggai atau  yang mewakili ( Bapak Vincent) dan sambutan-sambutan dari dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Kab.KepMentawai, dari dinas Pariwisata,  dan dari Desa Goisooinan. Acara hari pertama pengenalan dasar-dasar teknik pengamatan alam khususnya untuk satwaliar burung dan primata, dan menggunakan nya sebagai bahan publikasi di media sosial, sperti instagram, facebook, dan whatsapp. Hari kedua acara dilakukan di hutan yang di bagi menjadi 3 kelompok, pengamatan-pengamatan di dokumentasikan di selesai pengamatan di lalukan presentasi hasil dari masing-masing kelompok.  Dalam menyampaikan presentasi ini peserta juga di perkenalkan oleh para pemateri tetang bagaimana menyajikan data dalam presentasi menggunakan power point yang sederhana dan menarik.

Antusias  peserta yang juga di dampingi para pendamping dari Malinggai Uma, telah berhasil mendokumentasikan foto-foto yang di jumpai selama pengamatan dan beberapa diantaranya juga sudah di upload di sosial media. Harapannya kegiatan ini dapat memberikan wawasan baru dan pengalaman untuk generasi muda mentawai untuk lebih mengenal apa yang ada di sekitar mereka dan melestarikan identitas budaya asli mentawai.

26Feb/21

Sokokembang Forest, wild habitat of Javan langur.

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Photo story by Arif Setiawan

 

1. The Javan langur (Trachypithecus auratus) is a leaf-eating monkey classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Found in Java and nearby islands, it inhabits the Sokokembang forest near Kayupuring Village in the Petungkriyono District, Pekalongan, Central Java Province. They live in groups of two to 15 individuals and are polygynous, meaning that in each group there is one adult male and several females.


2. Javan langurs are often encountered along the forest road in leading to Petungkriyono. Although their numbers have not been researched to date, the SwaraOwa team have observed approximately six troops of langurs frequenting that road.

3. Newly born Javan langurs are orange, but turn black after an average of 2.9 months (Trisilo et al. 2021). Their orange fur makes the babies stand out and allows the adult members of the troop to look out for them and make sure .


4. Javan langurs move on all fours (quadrupedal). They spend most of their lives in the trees and only occasionally come down to look for insects and other food in the understorey or forest floor.

5. Javan langurs are a protected primate species under Indonesian law.


6. Javan langurs are often lethargic because they need time and energy to digest the tough leaves that make up their staple diet. When seen dozing off on a tree branch, these langurs may actually be waiting for the digestive bacteria in their guts to break down their food, much like ruminants.

7. In February 2021, we counted a total of six females with babies in the Sokokembang forest – some were still orange, while others had black fur like their mothers.


8. We also observed two langurs grooming each other. Aside from keeping langur fur free of parasites, grooming also serves as a social activity to strengthen group ties and relieve tension or stress.

9. Being relatively dense, Petungkriyono Forest is suitable habitat for Javan langurs. The fact that some langurs are easily observed along the road and not too bothered by humans can be used to promote ecotourism (primate-watching) in the area. However, measures will need to be implemented to ensure humans keep a distance and do not litter or feed the langurs.

24Jan/21

2020 in review: Humming optimism amidst adversity

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Overview

In January 2020, against the backdrop of a nascent pandemic, work continued unabated to organize conservation activities targeted at primates, gibbons in particular. The gibbons in Central Java and the Mentawai Islands form the twin foci of our conservation activities and have provided us strong motivation to step up conservation at the site level.

Javan gibbon landscape

Mentawai – Education & ecotourism

In South Siberut, we initiated a campaign centered on wildlife photography in collaboration with Uma Mentawai Malinggai (UMM), an organization dedicated to preserving local folk art. The campaign aimed to promote photography as a means of preserving culture and biodiversity, and to equip UMM members with new skills. We armed two UMM members with cameras that they used to document local fauna and natural history, and encourage the local community to part with non-traditional hunting practices.

This program has delivered some tangible results, with a book on the birds of Mentawai and another on Mentawai primates having been published. Active collaboration with local residents has also encouraged them to take ownership of their natural environment by serving as ‘paraconservationists’[read report here]. As such, the message we spread emphasized the importance not only of primates, but also of other components of Mentawai’s biodiversity and the value of indigenous culture.

The activities scheduled for January were intended to promote the conservation of primates in Mentawai through primate-watching tours. A promotion had in fact already been launched on a dedicated website (https://wildgibbonindonesia.com/ and a test run had likewise been conducted blending endemic primate species with highlights of local culture. Read the trip report here. However, after a promising start, progress has slowed since March 2020 owing to the pandemic. Being mainly targeted at tourists from abroad, the project has been affected by cancellations of all tours booked at the end of 2019.

Central Java – Cancelled visits

In March 2020, we had been due to receive staff from the Ostrava Zoo and a representative of the Czech ambassador to Indonesia at our project activities in Sokokembang and the village of Mendolo. Both sites play a crucial role in our Coffee and Primate Conservation Project. However, shortly before the event was due to start, an official notice came in from the Regent of Pekalongan that gatherings were to be banned to halt the transmission of coronavirus. We were of course very disappointed, but are glad that we did the right thing by calling the activities off. In the end, we only managed a brief meeting with representatives of the Ostrava Zoo in Pekalongan, who immediately thereafter returned to Jakarta.

Of all our shade coffee and primate conservation projects in 2020, the most badly hit by the pandemic was our collaboration with the Singapore Zoo. Sales of our forest-friendly coffee had ground to a halt there because the zoo café, which carried the product, was forced to close by COVID-19. Our stock of coffee beans piled up in warehouses in Yogyakarta and in the Petungkriyono homes of the growers near the gibbon forests.

the swinging javan gibbon

 Research & networking

May 2020 marked a milestone in the conservation of the Kloss’s gibbon  (Hylobates klossii), with a survey of this Mentawai endemic having been published in the journal Biodiversitas – Journal of Biological Diversity. Findings were first presented at the Indonesian Primate Congress in September 2019, organized by Indonesian Primatological Society.

June 2020 saw the commencement of two important research projects in Sokokembang. Both were spearheaded by tough and dedicated women who feel more at home in the forest and among the communities who live off it than as homemakers without a voice of their own. Pressing on despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the first is Nur Aoliya from Bogor Agricultural University who studies the Silvery gibbon’s  vocalisation behaviours in the mountainous landscape of the Dieng region. You can find Aoliya’s story here, recounting her search for the diva of the rainforest in the districts of Batang and Pekalongan. The second, Yenni Rachmawati from Airlangga University, researches the Blue-banded kingfisher, one of the world’s most endangered birds  which the SwaraOwa team had found as new record in 2018. Both these research projects are funded by the annual Kopi Owa scholarship program as part of the Coffee and Primate Conservation Project in Central Java. As of early 2021, these projects are still ongoing.

 

Starting where we left off

As we lament no longer being able to travel as we please or meet whoever we want to, perhaps the most important lesson to learn from this global pandemic is that not coexisting with the natural world will only lead to severe socio-economic problems in the long run. Promoting cultural practices that emphasise sustainable consumption and production must be made a topmost priority, even if only on a small scale at first. After all, big things usually have humble beginnings.

Initially beset by numerous delays due to the pandemic, November 2020 saw our work in Mentawai slowly being resumed, targeted at conserving the endemic Kloss’s gibbon. As the erosion of local culture has led to unsustainable hunting practices and the loss of much forest, this work crucially includes providing local teachers training and content on nature conservation and Mentawai traditions.

Not all our activities were publicized on the SwaraOwa website or blog due to limited time for writing. One of the most important achievements for gibbon conservation in Pekalongan Regency was marked by the provincial government initiating a multi-stakeholder forum centered on the management of the Petungkriyono forest area [the initiation was started by this writing]. Although relevant work had already started in 2019, it was only with this forum that a concrete plan emerged, proposing around 5,173.80 ha to be managed collaboratively as an Essential Ecosystem Area.

Looking towards the future: strengthen economy, culture and nature conservation 

stingless bee honey harvesting

The pandemic, giving experience of livelihood program activities with one priority commodity to influence sustainable production and consumption in gibbon habitat’s  is very risky. and now there is also other potential commodity that SwaraOwa is developing in the habitat of gibbons, i.e stingless bee and it’s product development, we started in 2017 and now honey production has begun to stabilize even though it is limited, and motivate the community to involved in wildlife friendly farming practice, colony replication not only multiplied bee hive boxes but also became the start of a social, economic and ecological movement  around the forest.

We closed 2020 with the launch of Owa Bilou Coffee, a commercial project named after the Kloss’s gibbon endemic to Mentawai. It aims to further conservation work on primates, to involve local community on sustainable economic activities, especially the gibbon which is its namesake, its to trigger promoting local commodities and team in Mentawai that can be benefit for community and nature it’s self.

Thanks to all people, agency, local government in Central java and Mentawai,  who involved during 2020 activities, special thank you to our donors Fortwayne Children Zoo, Wildlife Reserve Singapore, Ostrava Zoo, and Arcus Foundation.

Having bade 2020 a bittersweet goodbye, we welcome 2021 with renewed optimism and resolve.

11Dec/20

Nyanyian Owa Jawa : diva di tengah rimba

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Oleh : Nur Aoliya , email :  [email protected]

Owa jawa (Hylobates moloch) di hutan Sokokembang, Petungkriyono

 “Emang ada Owa Jawa di Pekalongan?” itu pertanyaan pertama saya saat mendengar program konservasi owa jawa oleh Coffee and Primate Conservation Project atau sekarang lebih dikenal SwaraOwa  di desa sukokembang, kecamatan petungkriyono kabupaten pekalongan tahun 2014. Sampai sekarang tahun 2020 masih ada orang yang mempertanyakan akan hal itu, bahkan orang pekalongan sendiri ada yang tidak tahu kalo ada Owa Jawa di Pekalongan.

Salah satu yang unik dari owa adalah suara atau nyanyiannya, bak sebuah lagu. Baik owa betina maupun jantan dapat bersuara, namun waktu dan tipe suaranya berbeda. Owa jantan cenderung bersuara sebelum fajar sedangkan Owa betina cenderung bersuara setelah terang dan kadang siang hari. Jenis-jenis owa menghasilkan  nyanyian lagu yang keras dan panjang yang sebagian besar dipamerkan oleh pasangan yang telah kawin. Biasanya, pasangan menggabungkan nyanyian ini  (repertoire) dalam interaksi vokal, tepat waktu, dan kompleks untuk menghasilkan  pola duet yang baik.1

Perbedaan waktu bersuara Owa Jawa ini, kenapa seperti itu juga belum banyak yang meneliti. Di dunia hanya Owa dari Jawa dan Owa dari Mentawai dimana antara jantan dan betina tidak menyanyi bersama.

Sonogram , visualisasi suara owa jawa

Lebih menarik lagi suara yang dinyanyikan owa betina pada pagi hari yang disebut great call, karena suaranya sangat khas. Suaranya dimulai dengan suara “waa” dengan interval lambat yang semakin cepat sampai ke lengkingan panjang dan diakkhiri dengan interval yang semakin melambat.  Mungkin karena itulah satwa ini lebih dikenal sebagai owa-owa/ uwek-uwek karena suarnya terdengar melafalkan kata tersebut. Suara betina selain khas juga memiliki peranan sangat penting, yaitu sebagai tanda daerah teritorinya. Setiap kelompok owa memiliki area yang digunakan sebagai tempat mencari makan, istirahat, reproduksi, dan segala aktifitasnya. Area tersebut akan dijaga dan tidak akan mengijinkan owa dari kelompok lain untuk memasuki area mereka. Tugas owa betina ini menyiarkan batas-batas areanya melalui suaranya tiap pagi.

Lantas bagaimana owa tau bahwa ini suara betina yang mana? Dan dari kelompok mana? ini menjadi daya tarik saya untuk mepelajari variasi great call owa di sokokembang sebagai skripsi yang didukung oleh Swaraowa. Ternyata setelah saya mempelajari lebih lanjut baik secara literature maupun penelitian langsung setiap suara betina ini memiliki perbedaan. Perbedaanya dapat kita lihat dengan cara memvisualisasikan suara nyanyiannya, dan perbedaan yang utama  dari nadanya, durasinya dan frekuensinya (lihat gambar dan video). Seperti suara manusia yang berbeda-beda sehingga kita bisa membedakan manusia hanya dari suaranya tanpa melihat wujudnya kan? owa jawa juga begitu.

Saat ada satu betina yang bersuara maka akan memancing betina lain akan bersuara.  Antar betina yang beda kelompok tidak akan bersuara bersamaan alias bergantian, agar pesan  masing-masing kelompok tersampaikan. Biasanya betina remaja akan belajar bersuara bersama induk betinanya, tapi kadang suaranya masih nanggung atau tidak seharmoni induknya. Owa tidak akan bersuara saat hujan atau malam harinya hujan. Soalnya suaranya akan lebih sulit terdengar oleh kelompok lain dan butuh energi lebih saat hujan.  Jadi dari pada energi terbuang sia-sia untuk bersuara lebih baik digunakan untuk menghangatkan badan. Sama seperti kita kalo hujan juga penginya rebahan ajah, tidak  buang-buang energi.

Demikianlah sebagian fakta unik tentang owa jawa. Mudah-mudahan owa jawa dimanapun khususnya di Petungkriyono akan tetap lestari,  owa membantu regenerasi alami pohon-pohon alam, kita butuh hutan  dan owa jawa sebegai satu kesatuan, menikmati udara segar, air sungai yang deras dan jernih, sumber ekonomi dan  ilmu pengetahuan  yang harus kita rawat dan kelola dengan bijaksana. Menikmati nyanyiannya di hutan setidaknya akan memberikan rasa kedamaian diantara riuhnya suara-suara gemuruh pembangungan anthroposentris , nyanyian Owa seperti diva di tengah belatara, yang menunjukkan bahwa hutan tempat hidupnya masih terjaga. Melestarikan owa jawa dan hutan sama sajah menjamin kehidupan untuk manusia generasi selanjutnya.

 

Daftar Pustaka

  1. Geissmann, T. dan V. Nijman. 2001. Calling Behaviour of Wild Javan Gibbons Hylobates moloch In Java, Indonesia dalam Forest (and) Primates. Conservation and ecology of the endemic primates of Java and Borneo. Tropenbos Kalimantan Series
19Nov/20

Kekah Natuna, Kesan Pertama Pengamatan Primata di Habitatnya

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ditulis oleh: Kurnia Latifiana − [email protected]

Kekah Natuna (Presbytis natunae) di habitat aslinya.

Pertama kali pengamatan primata, pertama kali ke Natuna, pertama kali terjun ke lapangan dengan dua wanita hebat, tangguh, dan mandiri. Serba pertama kali yang dikemas secara epic. Semesta merestui kami − Mbak Kasih, Mbak Ika, dan aku − untuk melakukan survei primata endemik kekah Natuna (Presbytis natunae) di habitat aslinya. Kekah, biasa masyarakat lokal Natuna menyebutnya, salah satu jenis primata yang hanya ada di Pulau Natuna. Kekah Natuna dilindungi oleh Pemerintah Indonesia melalui P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018. Status konservasi secara global, terklasifikasi sebagai satwa yang rentan terhadap kepunahan atau vulnerable (VU) (IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, 2020) dan status perdagangan termasuk Appendix II CITES yaitu berpotensi terancam punah bila perdagangan dilakukan terus-menerus tanpa adanya hukum yang mengaturnya (CITES, 2016).

Hampir menuju penghujung September 2020, kami bertiga bergerak ke utara membelah khatulistiwa, dari Pulau Jawa menuju Pulau Natuna. Pulau kecil ini seluas 1.605 km2 dan di kelilingi lautan lepas. Jika kalian membuka Peta Indonesia, maka Pulau Natuna berada di paling utara Selat Karimata, di antara Pulau Sumatera dan Kalimantan. Sering disebut Pulau Natuna Besar atau Pulau Bunguran, pulau utama terbesar di Kepulauan Natuna, Provinsi Kepulauan Riau. Sesampainya di Natuna, kami langsung menuju Kantor KPHP Unit V Natuna, di Ranai. Berbekal informasi dari rekan-rekan KPHP Natuna yang lebih mengetahui persis lokasi kekah berada saat ini, kami berdiskusi untuk menentukan lokasi survei yang dapat kami jangkau. Beberapa lokasi target sudah kami tentukan, pun dengan pembagian siapa meluncur ke lokasi mana. Kami bersepakat untuk membagi tim menjadi tiga. Kami berpencar. Saatnya eksekusi.

Peta Pulau Natuna.

***

Sebelumnya, aku sama sekali belum pernah melakukan pengamatan primata. Hanya sekedar field trip sebagai tourist, itu pun baru sekali. Survei ini adalah pengalaman pertamaku, dan langsung ke Natuna. What a surprise! Karena sesungguhnya aku yang dulu cukup lama menjadi teman setia dalam kegelapan bersama satwa nokturnal, herpetofauna. Ketika pengamatan sering nunduk dan hanya sesekali lihat ke atas. Namun, kali ini semua itu berkebalikan. Aku harus jalan pagi dan sore, mengamati atas tajuk. Seperti merubah algoritma default di otakku.

My first trial and error. Sebenarnya cukup khawatir njomplang (tidak seimbang) dengan kemampuan dua mbak senior yang sudah lihai kesana-kemari pengamatan primata. Njomplang dalam arti peluangku mendeteksi primata belum cukup terlatih, belum peka dengan keberadaannya. Mbak Kasih berkali-kali berpesan padaku, “Jalannya santai saja, kalem, slow. Ada area terbuka, berhenti dulu, amati sekitar. Kalau jumpa kekah, catat hal-hal prioritas. Jangan terlalu lama di titik itu, nanti kehilangan jejak untuk kelompok di depannya.” Aku ingat-ingat betul pesannya dan aku praktekkan sebisaku.

***

Rangkaian survei pertama kami di sekitar Ranai, yang merupakan pusat pemerintahan di Kabupaten Natuna, terletak di bagian timur pulau ini. Kami menyebar ke tiga lokasi survei sesuai rencana. Hari pertamaku pengamatan primata. Surprise! Sekelompok kekah menampakkan raut imutnya, sekitar 30 meter di depanku, berlokasi di kebun campur yang menyerupai hutan sekunder di sekitar permukiman warga. “Oh, ini toh dia (kekah) kalau di alam. Oh, begini wujudnya,” decak kagumku tak terhenti. Pertama kali dalam sejarah hidupku melihat Presbytis di alam. Mereka (kekah) auto sibuk berpindah dari pohon satu ke pohon lain untuk waspada sambil mengawasiku. Tak mau kalah sibuk, aku pun mengintip mereka melalui jendela kamera untuk mengabadikannya melalui foto. Beberapa frame sudah ku dapat, tapi belum puas, hasil gambar masih kabur karena terlalu bahagia sampai gemetaran pegang kamera. Hehehe. Ketika sampai penginapan, kami bertiga bertukar cerita. Hari pertama pengamatan, dua senior sekaligus guru dan sahabatku ini belum bertemu langsung dengan kekah. “Ini nih yang dinamakan keberuntungan pemula. Langsung ketemu di hari pertama pengamatan. Selamat ya!” tuturnya.

Hari berikut, masih di Ranai dan sekitarnya. Aku menuju jalur pendakian Gunung Ranai, gunung tertinggi di pulau ini. Gunung ini merupakan kawasan hutan lindung KPHP Natuna, dengan tutupan hutan lahan kering sekunder yang berbatasan dengan kebun masyarakat. Sambil mendaki lereng curam, aku melihat pergerakan daun tak wajar sekaligus mendengar riuh suara kekah, sangat nyaring. Tanpa pikir panjang, aku merekam suaranya menggunakan ponsel pintarku. Iqbal, staff KPHP Natuna yang menemaniku, melihat kekah itu, “Ada (kekah), Kak. Ada 3 ekor,” ucapnya. Aku pun meneruskan jalur pendakian dengan lereng yang sangat tajam, diiringi latar suara kekah menemaniku terengah-engah mendaki Gunung Ranai.

Selepas seharian berpencar ke transek masing-masing, setibanya di penginapan, kami selalu bertukar cerita sekaligus berdiskusi merencanakan menuju target lokasi berikutnya. Hari itu Mbak Ika sangat beruntung jumpa kekah sekaligus mendapatkan fotonya, begitupun Mbak Kasih. Lengkap sudah, kami semua sudah bertemu dan mendapatkan foto kekah di alam. Tak lama, dua mbak senior ini sangat seru membicarakan kekah dan membandingkan dengan spesies Presbytis yang lain. Kira-kira begini, “Dia (kekah) di sisi luar tuh ada putihnya ya ternyata. Dia kalau pindah kalem banget, lebih slow daripada spesies ini loh… bla bla bla…” dan seterusnya. Hemm, aku cuma bisa diam dan mendengarkan apa yang mereka bicarakan, mencoba mengekstrak tapi tetap saja nggak terbayang juga. Hahaha.

Selanjutnya pada trip kedua, kami berpindah berpencar untuk menjelajahi sisi Natuna bagian tengah-barat. Aku menuju Gunung Semala, yang hampir dua dekade silam dilaporkan ada kekah di sana (Lammertink et al., 2003). Di kaki gunung ini juga dimanfaatkan oleh para penambang batu untuk bertahan hidup. Menurut warga setempat, “Dulu memang banyak kekah, di sepanjang jalan menuju Gunung Semala juga ada. Namun, sekarang tak banyak, kalau di gunungnya justru tidak ada.” Pengamatanku kali ini nihil. Tak satupun primata teramati di Gunung Semala. Sunyi, tak terdengar suara satwa. Hanya sekali aku jumpa burung srigunting (nama lokal: sawe), terkadang teramati bajing kelapa.

Beberapa jenis satwa teramati ketika pengamatan kekah: srigunting/sawe, bajing kelapa, kangkareng perut putih/jungkak, elang ular bido/elang darat.

Survei berikutnya menuju Natuna bagian selatan. Meminjam istilah Mbak Ika yaitu “kerajaan kekah”, karena baru jalan sebentar saja sudah jumpa kekah. Sangat memanjakan mata. Perbedaan yang sangat drastis dari lokasi pengamatanku sebelumnya. Dari informasi warga setempat, di jalur kebun buah memang sering dijumpai kekah. Aku segera menelusuri jalur yang dimaksud. Di jalur ini juga kerap mondar-mandir burung kangkareng perut putih (nama lokal: jungkak) dan sesekali teramati burung elang ular bido (nama lokal: elang darat). Tak membutuhkan waktu lama, setelah terdengar gemercik aliran sungai, terpantau olehku tujuh ekor kekah di atas pohon, lantas mereka bersuara. Aku mengira suara itu pasti ketua kelompok kekah yang memberikan “aba-aba” kepada kawanannya. Namun, kali ini lain, suaranya berbeda jika dibandingkan ketika aku merekamnya di Gunung Ranai. Entah itu tipe suara yang mana, yang penting aku rekam saja dulu. Di lokasi ini merupakan perkebunan campur yang berbatasan dengan hutan rawa sekunder. Aku coba mendatangi lokasi pohon di mana kekah tadi berkumpul. Pantas saja, ternyata ada pohon buah di situ. Kami masih mencoba untuk mengidentifikasi buah ini. Menurut warga setempat, kekah suka mengonsumsi bijinya saja. Selain itu, makanan favoritnya adalah biji buah karet, daun muda karet, biji rambutan, dan daun ubi.

Peluang perjumpaan kekah cukup tinggi di bagian selatan Natuna. Senang, namun sekaligus sedih, karena cukup mudah pula untuk diburu. Kami sempat menemui beberapa warga yang masih memelihara kekah di rumahnya. Berkaca-kaca ketika melihat sepasang kekah yang diikat dalam kandang seolah mereka berteriak ingin bebas, sedangkan aku belum bisa apa-apa. Pilu.

Kami berharap, melalui rangkaian kegiatan ini sebagai awalan baik untuk memicu aksi konservasi kekah Natuna yang saat ini populasinya semakin menurun. Sekaligus sebagai usaha untuk menghambat laju penurunan populasi dan meningkatkan pemahaman masyarakat terhadap konservasi kekah sehingga dapat berdampingan berbagi ruang hidup (coexistence). Semoga ada kesempatan untuk berkunjung kembali ke Natuna, kediaman “kerajaan kekah”, dan tentunya saat musim buah. Tak hanya bagi kami, tetapi bagi siapapun yang berniat baik ke sana.

Terima kasih kami ucapkan kepada Primate Conservation Inc. (PCI), SwaraOwa, keluarga besar BBKSDA Riau, KPHP Unit V Natuna, serta pihak-pihak yang telah mendukung upaya pelestarian Kekah Natuna. Terima kasih kepada warga setempat di seluruh penjuru Natuna yang berkenan kami singgahi sebagai hunian sementara selama di Pulau Natuna.

Kesan pertama memang selalu melekat di hati 🙂

Bersama keluarga besar KPHP Unit V Natuna (kiri) dan BBKSDA Riau (kanan).

***

 

Referensi:

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). (2016). Appendices I, II, and III. http://www.cites.org

IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group. (2020). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: Presbytis natunae. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Assessed by Setiawan, A, Cheyne, S. M., & Traehold, C. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T136500A17955492.en

Lammertink, M., Nijman, V., & Setiorini, U. (2003). Population size, Red List status and conservation of the Natuna leaf monkey Presbytis natunae endemic to the island of Bunguran, Indonesia. Oryx, 37(4), 472–479. https://doi.org/10.1017/S003060530300084X

Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan RI. (2018). P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Perubahan Kedua Atas Peraturan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Nomor P.20/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/6/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi. Jakarta, Indonesia.

 

02Nov/20

Beasiswa KOPI OWA

Blog Post, , ,

Program “Kopi dan Konservasi Primata 2020 -SWARAOWA, mengajak anda berkontribusi melalui pembelian Kopi “jungle bean” dari habitat Owa Jawa, seharga Rp 120.000,00 anda akan mendapatkan 2 bungkus kopi Arabica dan Robusta. Keuntungan penjualan kopi ini akan di gunakan untuk biasiswa penelitian Owa jawa dan burung Raja Udang Kalung Biru, di Hutan Petungkriyono,Kab.Pekalongan, Jawa Tengah.

Owa jawa (Hylobates moloch)

Saat ini ada 2 mahasiswa yang akan melakukan penelitian tentang perilaku bersuara Owa Jawa (Hylobates moloch), dan Distribusi dan habitat burung Raja Udang Kalung biru (Alcedo euryzona). Tentang burung Raja Udang Kalung Biru ini merupakan burung langka terancam punah (Critically Endangered) yang di temukan tahun 2018 oleh tim SWARAOWA.

Javan Blue Banded Kingfisher

Pembelian kopi ini juga menjaga produksi kopi Owa di masa pandemic, dimana sangat terdampak karena tutupnya outlet-outlet/coffee shop jaringan kopi Owa saat ini. Dukungan anda sangat penting tidak hanya untuk mendukung penelitian satwa terancam punah tetapi juga mondorong warga sekitar hutan untuk tetap produktif dan menjaga kelestarian hutan.

kopi owa “Jungle Beans”

Sampai bulan Desember 2020, penelitian ini membutuhkan dana kurang lebih Rp 30.000.000,00 (tiga puluh juta rupiah) dan saat ini sudah ada dana Rp 10.000.000,00 (sepuluh juta rupiah) untuk kegiatan kelapangan bulan September-November 2020. Penggalangan dana ini akan kami buka sampai akhir bulan November 2020, dan juga akan menjadi sekema berkelanjutan untuk upaya pelestarian primata dan burung langka di wilayah Jawa Tengah. Ikuti terus perkembangan kegiatan kami di sosial media SWARAOWA.
Pembelian bisa kopi kami layani melalui OWA COFFEE, no WA : 0823 1377 2667, Instagram dan twitter Owa Coffee, juga tokopedia : https://www.tokopedia.com/owacoffee

01Dec/19

Greeting from the wild

Blog Post

hello world, you are in the home page of SwaraOwa, a group of dedicated young people working for and to conserve Javan Silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch) in Central Java, and Mentawai Gibbon ( Hylobates klossii) in Mentawai island, Indonesia


read more fieldwork stories in our blog : https://swaraowa.blogspot.co.id/