Tag Archives: swaraowa

09Dec/24

Gibbon Camp 2024

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by : Nurlita Uswatun Khasanah  and Dinka Aulia Nurul Ikhsan

camp site Welo Asri

Every October 24 is celebrated as World Gibbon Day. This is a reminder of the importance of the existence of this speceis. Its ecological role as a seed disperser in the forest is so important that this animal really needs to be preserved. The Javan gibbon as a primate endemic to Java also has social value as a global identity. Therefore, KP3 Primata collaborated with SwaraOwa every year to organize this Gibbon Camp event as part of the commemoration of World Gibbon Day.

The purpose of this event is 1) to campaign to voice and also disseminate conservation awareness to the public and especially to KP3 Primate members related to Gibbon Conservation. 2) Inform the general public about the existence status of gibbons and their natural habitat.

On 1-3 November 2024, at Welo Asri, 15  participants gathered at the Welo Asri camping ground area, Kayupuring village, Petungkriyono District. The event was opened by the chairman of the WeloAsri pokdarwis, Mas Muhammad Kuswoto, and an introduction to the discussion and introduction to Gibbon conservation in Petungkriyono from Swaraowa by Mas Wawan.

Gibbon camp participants

On November 2, observations were made by walking approximately 2-3 km from Sokokembang to Kroyakan along main forest road, divided into three groups, each group consisting of at least 5 people with a guide from SwaraOwa. Starting from 6.30 to 9.30 we saw 4 individuals of Rekkerjaan (Presbytis fredericae), 14 individuals of Javan Langur (Trachypithecus auratus), and 4 individuals of Long-tailed Monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). In the afternoon and evening due to rainy days observation activities were stopped.

Javan gibbon at Welo Asri

a pair of Javan gibbon

Javan langur with baby

Javan surili (Presbytis fredericae)

gbbon watching

On November 3, observations were made around Welo Asri, and we were very lucky to be able to see Javan Gibbons. We observed 3 groups of gibbons from around Welo Asri, with a total of 9 individuals. Recorded the highest number of individual gibbons observed in approximately 2 hours, in one location.

The complete report on Gibbon Camp activities can be read here, thank you to SwaraOwa and all parties involved. See you at the next Gibbon camp. (translated from original article in bahasa here)

08Dec/24

The 11th Sokokembang Gibbon Field Course (MSP2024)

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by : Arif Setiawan

MSP 2024 all participants

On October 23 2024, the Sokokembang gibbon field course  was started, located in the heart of Gibbon Habitat, of  Sokokembang Forest, Petungkriyono, Kab. Pekalongan, Central Java. This course  recognized as   Pelatihan Metode Survey Primata (MSP) nationally is an annual activity organized by Swaraowa in collaboration with the Primate Study Group at Gadjah Mada University, and this year was the 11th field course, since 2013. Goal of this course is to regenerate gibbon researchers ,  conservation enthusiast in Indonesia by introducing basic methods for gibbon population survey and build conservation networking among of them.

Sokokembang gibbon field course this year started by participants selection, was conducted two months before the date, and we received 42 applications from all over Indonesia gibbon region origin : Java, Sumatera and Kalimantan, represent universities, NGOs, and youth community. We have to select from these applications for about 15 to 20 participants berdasarkan their background and motivation letter. All participants selected are covered, transport and accommodation from their home origin to Sokokembang.

We have to thanks this year to Fortwayne Children’s Zoo, Chances For Nature, Ostrava Zoo, and Arcus Foundation and Owa coffee for all support, that make event happened. We have selected 19 participants representing Indonesia gibbon habitat  and active students from Kalimantan, Java and Sumatera.  (University of Palangkaraya, University of National, Bogor Agricultural University, Sebelas maret university, Gadjah Mada University, Brawijawa University, Kuningan University, Jakarta Islamic University, University of Sriwijawa South Soumatera, Raden Fatah Islamic University South Sumatera, Araniry Islamic University Aceh, Hutan Adat Wehea East Kalimantan, and Mentawai Community, Mendolo Youth, a youth farmer community in Pekalongan, Central Java )

field practice

The event is also part of the International gibbon day that celebrated globally  in 24th October, dan The opening of this training was on the evening of October 24, by the committee team and introduction of each participant, distribution of training kits and division of teams for the following day. On 25 October morning at 7 am, participants were in class and received the first material from the resource person, namely Dr. Salmah Widyastuti, introducing vocal count- triangulation a basic method for gibbon survey based on their vocalization and general information about Javan gibbon population and distribution in landscape Dieng especially Pekalongan and Banjarnegara regency. Following this class, Aoliya and Adin from Swaraowa give a talk and introduction on bioacoustics use for gibbon monitoring. Aoliya talk about how we collect data using passive voice recorder and basic analysis for their calls and Adin give a talk about technical set up for passive voice recorders using SM4 bioaccoustic devices.

Class room activities, presentation talk by Sinan PRCF

On October 25 participants started 06.30 collecting data in the field, at 3 listening post that have been established for gibbon monitoring, divided in to three groups and collecting. In this day participants practicing by real situation how to recognize gibbons vocalization, measuring the distance and record their compass bearing for call directions. Started at 6.00 and finished at 10.00 am. Every listening post have 4-5 participants to keep record gibbon vocalization, and 1 experienced swaraowa’s team researcher. While  collecting direct vocal data count, in each listening post SM4 recorder was installed. Base on previous guideline in the class, all  recorders started to call at 06.00 to 10.00 am.

Dr. Salmah Widyastuti course tutor, class room activities

Afternoon activities, started with how Data Analysis conducted based on series of observation, lead by Salmah Widyastuti, guided all participats conducted mapping and population density analysis using classic methos ( Brockelman and Ali, 1993)  and advanced methods ( Vu and Rawson, 2016) . Followed by Aoliya who assist all participants how to anaylise biouacoustic data that collected from passive voice recorder. At evening invited guest lecturer Sinan Serhadli  gibbon conservationist from PRCF Bangladesh gibbon conservation project, give a talk on current gibbon conservation program of Hoolock gibbon ( Hoolock hoolock) in Bangladesh. This talk give different perspectives and insight on current situation of gibbon conservation outside of Indonesia. Before the talk Arif Setiawan founder and director of Swaraowa was presenting history of MSP gibbon field course and swarowa’s conservation project activities.

Nur Aoliya course tutor, introducting bioacoustic devices for gibbon

26 October all participants did the same activities and finished at afternoon, back to the class and doing data analysis both from listening post listening and bioacoustics devices. Discussion and evaluation during two days practice conducted actively involving swaraOwa team and among participants, and followed report write up and writing presentation of their result.

fild practice in the forest

Javan Gibbon, observed during the course

27 October all participants invited to do primate watching in Sokokembang route, using local pickup vehicle, this regular route for monitoring and primate watching. And all participants records all primates in Sokokembang, Javan gibbon, Javan surili, Javan langur and Macaca fascicularis. After these activities all participants back to class and do result presentation and closing ceremonies.

doplak ride for primate watching

We are on behalf of swaraOwa and Primate study group, Gadjah Mada University  thanks to all of all of local organization who support activities the 11th Sokokembang MSP, Perhutani KPH, Kayupuring villages govt and our annual donors Fortwayne Children’s Zoo, Chances For Nature, Ostrava Zoo, and Arcus Foundation and Owa coffee who provide support for all participants, activities for this event. See you again next year the 12th Sokokembang gibbon field course- MSP 2025.

29Oct/24

Agro-forest Mendolo Village, Habitat of the critically endangered Javan Slow Loris

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Javan slow loris ( Nycticebus javanicus) .Photo by M Yoga Saputra

Let me introduce myself, Muhammad Yoga Saputra, I am a student of the Forest Management study program at Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta. Through the 2024 SwaraOwa scholarship program, with my colleague Ratna Dwi Setyowati and we got the opportunity to research for a thesis on the Javanese slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus). The Javan slow loris is one of seven species of slow lorises that live and are distributed in Indonesia. Based on the International Union of Conservation of Nature Resources (IUCN) Red List 2021, the Javan slow loris is included in the critically endangered category and is also included in Appendix 1 by Conservation on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

We observed the population, distribution and habitat of the Javan slow loris in Mendolo Forest, Lebakbarang, Pekalongan. Mendolo Forest is located in 4 hamlets, namely Sawahan, Mendolo Kulon, Mendolo Wetan, and Krandegan. Field observations were carried out in the second-fourth week of September 2024. We were accompanied by the Mendolo Village Young Farmers Association (PPM) who always accompanied us in collecting data. During our observations, we found 8 individuals of Javan slow loris in the Mendolo Forest. In the four hamlets in Mendolo Village, only Mendolo Wetan Hamlet did not find the Javan slow loris species. Our observations start at 19.30 – 24.00. We took night observations because the Javan slow loris is a nocturnal animal and when exposed to a flashlight, the eyes of the Javan slow loris emit eye rays which makes it easier to find the Javan loris’s whereabouts compared to daytime observations. We used the line transect method, where the transects were placed in areas where the Javan slow loris was believed to be present.

an individu of Javan Slow loris spotted in Mendolo agro-forest habitat. Photo by M Yoga Saputra

During night observation, we found several species in the Mendolo Forest such as the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), Rekrekran- Javan surili (Presbytis fredericae), Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Black Banded Barbet (Megalaima javensis), Sunda scops Owl ( Otus angelinae), and Sunda flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus). Apart from that, during daytime observations we also found various species such as the Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch), Serpent  eagle (Spilornis cheela), black eagle (Ictinaetus malaiensis), banded kingfisher  (Lacedo pulchella) and Javan langur (Trachypithecus auratus).

The Javan slow loris is a semi-solitary animal. This can be seen in our observations where almost all individuals of the Javan slow loris were found alone. However, one of the Javan slow lorises was found with its infant. Observing at night requires precision and patience because sometimes we misidentify when there are eyes light on the tree that there is a Javan slow loris.  However, when you look closely the glow from the eyes can come from civets, squirrels,  or from Sunda flying lemurs. Apart from taking population and distribution data, we also took habitat data for the Javan slow loris in the Mendolo Forest.

Habitat data collection was carried out during the day by creating several plots to identify the habitat of the Javan slow loris in the Mendolo Forest. The habitat of the Javan slow loris in the Mendolo Forest is generally found in stands of coffee  and durian trees. Apart from that, the Javan slow loris can be found on jackfruit trees and trees containing sap, because the Javanese slow loris’ favorite food is the sap produced from twigs, stems, flowers or leaves. As in coffee stands, we saw that young coffee leaf twigs were often eaten by the Javan slow loris

12Oct/24

Camera trap competition: biodiversity inventory of Mendolo Village

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by : Kurnia Ahmaddin

givingaway goat for the cameratrap competion winner

The mountainous forests of Pekalongan are one of the remaining biodiversity pockets on the island of Java. However, changes in landuse and forest fragmentation still threaten the sustainability of the animals that live in them (Setiawan et al, 2012). The latest survey regarding forest fragmentation in this area shows the potential for reducing the structure of the main forest blocks into smaller parts (Widyastuti et al, 2023). To reduce the rate of habitat destruction, education and monitoring of wildlife at the community level around forest blocks is needed (Horwich & Lyon, 2007).

We are collaborating with PPM Mendolo, as one of the local communities in this area, taking the initiative to invite Mendolo village residents to recognize and monitor wild animals in their  village. Furthermore, we package these two goals in the form of a biodiversity competition to encourage residents around the forest to document and recognize wildlife. This competition was attended by community representatives from each hamlet in Mendolo Village to install camera traps. Competition activities will be held from 8 August to 18 September 2024 with a total of 25 installation days. At the end of the series of competition events, we gave away goat as an appreciation for participation to all participants.

Longtailed macaque

As a first step in expanding awareness of wildlife to the wider community, this activity received quite a lot of enthusiasm from the community. Within a period of 25 days, 16 camera trap points were recorded which were installed independently by 11 people from representatives from all hamlets. We have provided participants at the start of the competition with how to install and use camera traps and the ‘kobotoolbox’ application for recording spatial information. We calculate points based on daily points obtained from animal pictures. Meanwhile, the value of the animals obtained is that we rank the types of animals based on the level of difficulty of encountering the animals. The more difficult the animal encounter, the greater the points earned.

muntjak deer

Mouse deer

The results of obtaining images of wild animals caught by camera traps were also interesting, they were able to record Rekrekan (Presbytis fredericae), Long-tailed monkey (Macaca fascicularis), Muncak deer (Muntiacus muntjak), Wild boar (Sus scrofa), Mouse deer (Tragulus kanchil), Javan porcupine (Hystrix javanica), Javanese Garangan (Urva javanica), 2 species of treeshrew, 1 species of squirrel and 1 species of rat. The hamlets that have the right to win 1st place are Sawahan and Mendolo Kulon hamlets because the points obtained by both hamlets are the same. Meanwhile, the 2nd place winner was Mendolo Kulon hamlet and Kradegan was the 3rd place winner. In appreciation for the 1st winner, we gave 1 goat to each hamlet. We also gave 2 pairs of cockerels to Mendolo Kulon hamlet and 6 pairs of free-range chickens to Kradegan hamlet.

villagers seting up camera trap

camera trap unit

Closing the competition event, we evaluated the camera installation and looked at the resulting images together at the Mendolo village office. The event was opened by the chairman of PPM Mendolo as the organizer’s representative, followed by remarks by Mr. Kaliri as the head of Mendolo Village. In closing, we had a short discussion about the function of wild animals in nature and continued with the distribution of competition prizes. This series of events can be held well with initiatives from the local community and support from the village government. From this small step, we have great hopes that Mendolo village will become one of the wildlife friendly villages in Indonesia, by recognizing the biodiversity around the village, taking inventory means a step protecting the village’s own assets.

Literature cited

Setiawan, A., Nugroho, T. S., Wibisono, Y., Ikawati, V., & Sugardjito, J. (2012). Population density and distribution of javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch) in Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas, 13(1), 23–27.https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d130105

Widyastuti, Salmah., Farajallah, Dyah P., Lilik, B. P., Iskandar, Entang. 2023. The Javan Gibbon (Hylobates moloch) Habitat Changes and Fragmentation in the Dieng Mountains, Indonesia. Jurnal Manajemen Hutan Tropika, 29(2), 150-160, August 2023

Horwich, Robert H and Lyon, Jonathan. 2007. Community conservation: practitioners’ answer to critics. FFI: Oryx, 41(3), 376–385

12Aug/24

Beekeeping for the Gibbon Conservation in Central Java, Indonesia

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Rohim show his honey harvest

by : Sidiq Harjanto

The arrival of the dry season in the middle of this year brings blessings to the  beekeepers in Mendolo Village, Pekalongan. Since the launch of the “Beekeeping for Gibbon Conservation” program in 2017, Swaraowa has continued to work with the  beekeepers to further optimize the benefits of these tiny stingless bees,  “Klanceng” in javanese. Bee cultivation offers a sustainable economic alternative for communities around the Javan gibbon habitat.

Tarjuki, as a pioneer in the cultivation of Klanceng in Mendolo village, last July harvested dozens of bottles with a capacity of 450 ml. A cheerful smile adorned his face when he shared his story with us. This amount of honey was harvested from boxes of klanceng that he put in several locations in his garden in Mendolo Wetan Hamlet. He is optimistic that this year’s harvest will increase compared to last year’s harvest.

Swaraowa’s assistance for bee cultivation activities

In line with Tarjuki, Yukni Buhan, another farmer, also predicts a more abundant harvest this season.  This young man who lives in Sawahan Hamlet now manages 9 boxes of Heterotrigona itama and around 40 boxes of Tetragonula laeviceps  the two most productive of stingless bee in Javan gibbon habitat. “The first colony I kept was obtained from setting traps using empty boxes,” he recalled while showing a wooden box with small holes filled with tiny bees going in and out.

He has also harvested honey from his itama colonies. On average, one box produces a liter of honey. Meanwhile, he will harvest the boxes of laeviceps, a type of Klanceng with a smaller body size, during the durian flowering season, in the next two or three months. According to his experience, the peaks of the honey season are during the flowering season of Kayu Babi (Crypteronia sp.), then durian flowers, and finally during the flowering season of Kayu Sapi (Pometia pinnata), which is when the rainy season arrives.

Yukni with his klangceng bee hive box

Yukni plans to continue adding to his  Klanceng bee boxes using splitting techniques and setting traps. Asked about the readiness of the environmental carrying capacity at the cultivation location, Yukni was determined to continue planting various plants that could enrich the availability of food for bees, including forest wood.

Farmers not only get ease in harvesting honey obtained from cultivation. Nusri Nurdin, new beekeeper who also works as a wild bee honey harvester, received another blessing. Apart from harvesting Apis dorsata forest bee honey, he also harvests wild Klanceng honey on the side. Among the wild honey harvesters in Mendolo, the man known as Udin is one of the bravest. He did not hesitate to climb tall trees which were considered extreme by his professional colleagues.

The father of two children said that since the proliferation of cultivation carried out by Mendolo residents, it has become easier for him to find wild bee colonies. He suspects that as the number of colonies being maintained continues to increase, the population of bees in nature will also be increasingly maintained. “I have harvested seven colonies of Klanceng this season. “Everything has now been moved into boxes,” he said.

nursery for native trees to regenerate tree source for bees and other wildlife

Seven years ago, conditions were very different. At that time, the harvesters of wild Klanceng bees were still carrying out unsustainable harvesting. They dismantle the nest to get the honey and then just leave it until the colony is destroyed. There are countless bee colonies lost. Of course, we also lose the benefits of bees as pollinating insects.

Through a series of training programs, wild Honey Harvesters are directed to save wild bee colonies  that harvested from the wild. The colonies were transferred into boxes for cultivation. Sustainable methods are also introduced, such as colony breaking techniques, grafting, and installing trap boxes.

Now, no less than 25 Mendolo residents have run a beekeeping business and are enjoying the sweetness of this environmentally friendly business. The number of colonies maintained by each breeder varies. However, the average is no less than 5 boxes. Some even have more than 20 boxes.

Women group activities

If the man and youth tend to cultivate to produce honey, the women’s group in Sawahan Hamlet does something different. Those who call themselves the “Brayan Urip Group” keep bees to optimize pollination services. On a plot of land planted with various vegetables, boxes of cloves of the type Tetragonula laeviceps were placed.

Many studies have concluded that this small sized Klanceng species is effective in helping pollinate vegetable plants such as chilies. “For chili plants that are not fertilized and without intensive care, the results are quite good,” explained Sri Windriyah, who is believed to be the group leader. The harvest from the collective garden is sold at low prices to members for their respective household needs. The profits are set aside as group savings.

Next to the vegetable garden managed by the Brayan Urip Group, a simple nursery can be seen filled with hundreds of polybags containing seeds of various types of plants. The awareness that beekeeping requires a supportive environment, especially the existence of forests, has encouraged the beekeeping community to carry out planting movements. That’s why this nursery was created, as a supplier of seed needs.

Rohim, who is in charge of the nursery in Sawahan, said that this year the nursery he manages will provide at least 700 forest wood seeds such as Kayu Sapi (Pometia pinnata), Kayu Babi (Crypteronia sp), Klepu, Mangosteen and Kayu Salam. Hundreds of seeds are being prepared to be planted during the rainy season.

“Last year, two hundred pangium  seedlings were planted along the river channels in Sawahan Hamlet,” said Rohim. The planting was carried out in a participatory manner. Approximately 20 farmers provided their land for planting. Residents are increasingly motivated to actively plant after experiencing water shortages due to the El-Nino phenomenon last year.

For Swaraowa, involvement in this collaborative planting program is a form of effort to improve the quality of habitat for primates and other wild life. Mendolo Village itself is a habitat for five types of Javanese primates: Javan gibbon, Javan langur, rekrekkan, long-tailed monkey, and Javan slow loris. The conservation activities by opening up space for the community as the main subject has started from this village.

 

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

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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

Blog Post, , ,

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