Riding Across Borneo to Campaign for Forest and Orangutan Protection
Six activists from ProFauna Indonesia will be doing a campaign on forest and Bornean orangutan conservation in a unique way: riding dirtbikes. In the campaign entitled "Ride for Borneo 2014", the activist -one of whom is a woman- will visit the forests in East Borneo, which are inhabited by the orangutan. The team is going to make some documentary of the recent situation of the ever-shrinking forests in Borneo, which also threaten the survival of the wildlife such as the orangutan.
The joint campaign between ProFauna and the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) will start in April 2014 and go on until May 2014. It is expected to increase the awareness of the young people towards the importance of preserving the forests in Borneo; not just for the survival of the orangutan but also for a better life for humanity. Rosek Nursahid, one of the riders of this campaign, said "After the big success of our Ride for Orangutan Sumatra last year, we are now doing the Ride for Borneo which focuses on campaigns for forests which are home for the orangutan."
In 2008, scientists estimated the remaining population of the Bornean orangutan to be approximately 54,000 individuals. Their presence is also threatened by habitat loss due to land conversion, the expanding plantations, as well as mining activity.
According to the data released by the Department of Forestry, the deforestation rate in Borneo in 2000-2005 reached 1,23 million hectares. Therefore, about 673 hectares of forest in Borneo disappeared every day during that period. The total forest coverage remained in Borneo now is only 40,8 million hectares. However, Greenpeace believes that by 2010 there was only 25,5 million hectare of forest left in Borneo.
"The central and local government must have a strong stand on this issue, to save the forest left. All this time, the economic policies have always been conflicting and does not support forest conservation, which makes them no more than some word on papers," suggested Rosek. By doing this Ride for Borneo 2014 campaign, ProFauna wishes to send their message to the government to be more serious in protecting the forest and wildlife in Borneo, especially the orangutan.