Gold miners breach a crucial refuge for rescued Sumatran orangutans

JANTHO, Indonesia — Illegal gold miners have intruded upon a vital forest reserve in Indonesia's Aceh province, where critically endangered Sumatran orangutans are being reintroduced after being rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. According to Afifuddin, campaign and advocacy lead at the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the provincial chapter, "The result of our monitoring indicates that maybe dozens of excavators are suspected of operating in the Jantho forest area."

Established more than 15 years ago by the Indonesian government within the Jantho Nature Reserve, the Jantho orangutan reintroduction area was once devoid of Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) when conservationists started releasing them in 2011. The Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP), partnering with the Indonesian government, has since released nearly 200 orangutans into the forest, making it one of the country's most successful release sites for the critically endangered great apes.

The Jantho sanctuary was selected due to its habitat of fig trees, a crucial food source for orangutans, and its proximity to the Leuser Ecosystem, which houses the majority of Sumatran orangutans still living in the wild. However, Walhi's Aceh chapter discovered that around 14 hectares (35 acres) of the Jantho Nature Reserve has been breached by the illegal miners.