Orangutan Information Center

We have been involved in the reforestation of degraded land through tree nursery and replanting projects in Sumatra since 2005, and have planted over half million trees to date. Our latest project involves the regeneration of illegally cleared forest land in the Besitang region of the Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP). The programme is the first of its kind in Sumatra, with OIC being the first and only NGO granted permission to conduct restoration work within the national park. Working in close collaboration with the national park government authorities and local communities, the project aims to undo damage caused through illegal large-scale conversion of forest into oil palm plantation agriculture. Our initial target is to replant 500 hectares of orangutan habitat lost to development. A group of farmers in Besitang have committed to supporting the rehabilitation effort, and to actively protect the national park from further encroachment. To date we have planted 200 hectares of degraded land with more than 200,000 seedlings of indigenous tree species, with the assistance of the farmers group and the local community. We are currently in the nursery/cultivation stage of preparing seedlings for the restoration of an additional 100 hectares of degraded land, and we are looking to expand into Aceh province. In addition to forest rehabilitation, the project provides sustainable alternative livelihood schemes for local people living adjacent to the park. They benefit from the restoration of natural ecological services (having previously suffered droughts as a result of high water uptake from the illegal planting of oil palms), and also receive agroforestry and business development training. There is a strong educational element to the project, with training and skills development on tree nursery management and replanting seedlings.