My name is Dieka Pertiwi and I am a Guardian of the Forest. Since 2016 I have been working to protect orangutans, their habitats and the communities that live in the villages alongside them. I am proud to have been involved in the establishment of the orangutan release programme in the Bukit Baka Bukit Raya National Park. During my first six years, I worked to ensure that the release programme ran well and that the released orangutans were thriving in their new home. Through the project, I witnessed first hand the incredible success of the project – including released orangutans having babies in the wild!
The National Park is bordered by a number of buffer villages. Challenges to the programme can emerge from the people living in these buffer villages. For many years, the livelihoods of the people living in these areas has depended upon carrying out illegal logging in the forest areas. They would take wood to sell illegally and even hunt wild animals for consumption. So, when we started our release programme in this area, we knew we would have to work with these local communities to address and resolves these issues.
We listened to the communities and worked with them to understand the challenges they are facing and reasons why they might engage in illegal activities within the forest. Now, more than 150 local people are involved in the orangutan release programme, and are committed to stopping illegal logging and hunting activities in the forest. They are a part of our team and ambassadors for our work, ensuring that the forest around them is safeguarded.
Working with the community, it quickly became apparent that access to education was a huge issue. There are no high schools in the village and parents would have to spend large sums to send their children into the city to access high school education. Most villagers cannot afford to send their children to high school in other villages, and those who can, subsidies these costs through illegal activities in the National Park (e.g. logging and hunting). To ensure the ongoing safety of orangutan populations and the entire National Park, we knew it was vital to address the needs of the local communities and provide access to education, alternative livelihoods and on-going social and economic support systems.
To respond to these issues, we established a scholarship program for children in these buffer villages. In 2019, I had the opportunity to run this program to allow access to quality education in the big cities. We provide bikes for children to travel to school and for those even further isolated, we offer a full boarding option. In addition to transport and boarding, the program the covers all school and everyday fees to ensure that parents can commit to stopping all illegal activities in the forest. So far, 31 children have received this scholarship, with a zero drop out rate.
In addition running this scholarship program, I have been involved in running an education and awareness program within the buffer villages. There are more than 200 elementary and junior high school students currently studying in the buffer villages but more than 50% do not have good reading skills, and the drop out rate is very high. This leaves them with limited job opportunities as they do not have the basic skills needed for the world of work. For this reason, a number of young people in the villages follow in the footsteps of their parents and turn to illegal logging or hunting as a source of income. It is vital to provide these people with the opportunity to access education and alternative livelihoods that do not pose a risk to the animals and biodiversity within the National Park.
By working together with the local people, we can find real and lasting solutions and keep the forests safe. Today, my main focus is developing and implementing education and awareness programs in these villages – I am a Guardian of the Forest for habitats and for animals and humans living side by side in harmony.