by : Arif Setiawan
a sharing session on a roundtable discussion
August 19-24 2023, will be a historic moment for swaraowa, gathering with the global primate and conservation community to update knowledge about primatology and conservation, build networks, share experiences and discussions related to primate research and conservation activities at primate congresses and symposiums 19th world. Taking place at the Borneo Convention Center Kuching (BCCK), Sarawak Malaysia, this event was managed by the International Primatological Society and the Malaysian Primatological Society, according to the committee report there were 500 people attending from 60 countries. The theme of this congress and symposium is “Primates and People: a new horizon”
Aoliya’s Talk on 10 years of sokokembang primate field course
Swaraowa, sent 3 delegates to this event, me, Nur Aoliya and Sidiq Harjanto. This congress is the 6th time for me, and the first time for Aoliya and Sidiq. According to the committee in its report, there were around 600 abstracts (oral presentations and posters) and there were approximately 500 people from 60 countries who attended. This is a biennial meeting of researchers and primatologists from all over the world. The concept of the event is divided into a symposium and discussion roundtable, for 5 days participants are free to choose which symposium and discussion roundtable they are interested in and this meeting forum also gives us the opportunity to meet researchers, donors, primate conservation activists from all over the world, to get to know each other and network.
Sidiq’s Talk on beekeeping for Javan gibbon conservation
On the first day of my presentation, I presented the activities in Mentawai that we have been carrying out with Malinggai Uma Mentawai, for training teachers and using Quartet game cards as an educational medium. The Quartet game cards that we brought also received appreciation in the auction for primate conservation, a silent auction organized by the committee.
On August 21, 2023, I led a roundtable discussion entitled “Sustainable business models that drive primate conservation: Success stories from around the world” with the concept of intensive presentations and discussions, this roundtable received the attention of approximately 45 people, from various countries, with presenting key speakers from Peru, Singapore and Indonesia. Sidiq Harjanto from the swaraowa team also joined the roundatable discussion this time with a presentation about bee keeping activities for Javan Gibbon conservation.
In the afternoon of August 21 2023, the second presentation, in the gibbon symposium organized by the IUCN Section on Small Apes, was still about the activity program in Mentawai entilted with Siripok Bilou” grass root initiative for Mentawai Kloss’s gibbon.
Nur Aoliya, representing swaraowa, presented training activities on primate survey methods carried out since 2013, joining in a discussion roundtable with the theme Capacity building programs for habitat country primatologists: Gaps, challenges, and successes
This congress and symposium event provided an opportunity for the swaraowa team to be more confident in interacting in the global community, introducing swaraowa activities that have been carried out to conserve Indonesian primates, especially gibbon species.