Current Projects

We are currently funding four very exciting projects.

Panut Hadisiswoyo
Project Title: Human Wildlife Conflict Monitoring and Mitigation: The Facilitation of an Orangutan Task-Force and Conflict Mitigation Response Unit in North Sumatra, Indonesia

Description: With increased human encroachment into orangutan habitats, conflicts between humans and orangutans in Sumatra are on the increase. This project aims to promote the conservation of orangutans though understanding how and when such conflicts take place, and to establish and manage a Human Orangutan Conflict Response Unit to investigate and help mitigate conflicts. In addition, this project will develop a best practices document for handing orangutan-human conflict.

Anne Russon
Project Title: Ranging in East Bornean Orangutans

Description: This project studies ranging in East Bornean orangutans at a new research site in Kutai National Park, East Kalimantan. Ranging offers a good window on essential features of orangutan lives: where they go and why (food, nesting, companions), and how they understand and navigate forest space and change over time. Findings should provide much-needed updates on orangutan behavior in East Kalimantan, and they should aid conservation by improving monitoring in the study area and understanding orangutan roles in conflict with humans.

Michael Reid
Project Title: A Serologic Survey of Tuberculosis (TB) in Semi-Captive Orangutans: Implications for Orangutan Conservation Medicine

Description: This project tests the use of a new tuberculosis (TB) test that is suitable for use in the field. TB is greatly feared among those working on ape rehabilitation because it can cause illness and death in great apes, and it is a communicable disease. Worries that rehabilitant apes with TB will spread the disease to wild populations are especially relevant. The development of a new test that better suits orangutans can help to prevent the spread of the disease.

Didik Prasetyo
Project Title: Orangutan Research Information Center

Description: The goal of this project is to create a website for orangutan research findings that are not published in international journals. Nearly 90% of studies of orangutan behaviour and ecology are not published in international scientific journals. Many of these studies have data that would be valuable to conservation and research. This website would make available a large amount of findings and information that otherwise may not be accessible. This will further our understanding of orangutans and their ecology.