To mark Great Apes Giving Day on 4 October, we have launched a fundraising initiative to plant 10,000 trees and link two vital areas of forest separated by fires in 2015. The Pematang Gadung community forest is home to one of the biggest populations of wild orangutans in West Borneo. During the fires last year, 5000 acres of this precious forest were destroyed, cutting it in two and reducing the food and shelter available to the orangutans that depend on it for survival.
Now we are aiming to create a corridor through the burnt land and connect the two areas of forest which are located not far from our orangutan conservation centre in Ketapang. This will allow the orangutans to move freely over a much larger area. If the project is a success, our plan is to reforest more affected areas in future.
Organised by the Arcus Foundation, in partnership with the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), Great Apes Giving Day on Tuesday 4 October is a 24-hour giving event which encourages charitable donations through an online giving platform, hosted by Razoo. During the day competitive ‘leaderboards’ – or scorecards – will be activated and donors can compete to give and fundraise to gain $40,000 in additional funds for the organisations of their choice.
Our rehabilitation centre in Ketapang is one of 30 approved sanctuaries and rescue centres to have its own individual fundraising page under the Giving Day umbrella. All individual donations to our “10,000 Trees Campaign” will count towards Giving Day incentive awards. Supporters can also create personal fundraisers on IAR’s behalf to help us raise funds and win additional awards.
Alan Knight OBE, IAR CEO, says: “The Pematang Gadung forest is a coastal peat swamp of more than one metre deep. It is a vitally important ecosystem for wildlife and home to a population of between 300 and 500 orangutans. With the Bornean orangutan recently reclassified as Critically Endangered, a population of this size is of significant importance to the survival of the entire species. We urgently need to create a corridor to connect the two pieces of forest so that the orangutans living there have sufficient shelter and food to sustain them.
“Great Apes Giving Day is a fantastic initiative by the Arcus Foundation and GFAS to raise awareness and funds to support the work of facilities like our orangutan centre in Ketapang. We are privileged and proud to be taking part and I do urge everyone who cares about the future of the orangutan to help us protect this great ape from extinction by donating as much as they can. If just 1,000 of our supporters were to donate $10 each, we would reach our target and the tree planting could begin. It really is that simple - and it will literally make a world of difference to the orangutans.”
Sign the pledge to donate on the 4th of October:
Use the form below to pledge to donate to the ‘10,000 trees’ campaign on Great Ape Giving Day. We will send you an e-mail reminder. Collecting your pledges in advance helps us to forecast how likely we are to raise the required amount.