Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program

July 2019

Code REDAn e-newsletter from your friends in West Kalimantan

Dear Friends and Supporters, July has been the amazing whirlwind that is my annualtrip to Indonesia - lots of meetings, catching up withfamiliar faces and connecting with new ones - thisrefers not just to the humans!

This issue of Code Red features an article by SimonTampubolon, as he joined the One Forest Project 12-day Field Course at Cabang Panti Research Station. Oursecond article features Amy Scott, who writes aboutlong-term behavioral data in regards to orangutansociology and how our extensive database haschallenged our preconceived ideas of how orangutansmay interact. We recently published a journal articlein the International Journal of Primatology looking at

Issue: 79

In This Issue:

One Forest Project FieldCourse

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Historical Data Leads toNew Discoveries

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Specially Designed forGPOCP 20!

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Community LeadersInfluencing Land

Management Policy

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male orangutan threats to infants.

On our sidebar we have a special treat from afantastic London illustrator, made just for GPOCP. Wealso highlight Gunung Palung National Park's award inthe Indonesian National Parks festival recently held inBali!

Sincerely,

Cheryl Knott, PhDExecutive Director Gunung Palung Orangutan ConservationProgram (GPOCP)

One Forest Project Field CourseBy Simon Tampubolon, GPOCP EnvironmentalEducation Field Coordinator Held annually at Cabang Panti Research Station since2014, One Forest Project, in collaboration with GunungPalung National Park (GPNP), have just led a fantasticand much beloved field course where they taughtapplied research design and analysis, field techniques,ecology, and botany. The course is intended for localand regional capacity building and includedparticipants from ASRI, IAR, Titian, Planet Indonesia,Orangutan Foundation, staff from Gunung PalungNational Park, as well as representatives from fiveother protected areas in Borneo and throughoutIndonesia. GPOCP was also honored with an invite,where we sent Simon Tampubolon, our Kayong UtaraEnvironmental Education Coordinator, and ErikSulidra, our Database & Animal ProtectionCoordinator.

GPNP Wins 3rd Place atNational Parks Festival

Specially Designedfor GPOCP 20!

Natelle Quek is aLondon-based

illustrator and haskindly designed aseries of beautiful

images to celebrateGPOCP 20 years as anin situ conservation

organization!

GPOCP 20 design byNatelle Quek.

''I'm so excited to havethis opportunity to

illustrate for GPOCP's20th year anniversary! I

believe that art is apowerful tool to bridge

that societal gapbetween the natural

world and ourappreciation for it, and

I hope that theseillustrations will not

only bring joy, but alsoawareness for the

wonderful wildlife andGPOCP's importantconservation and

education programs.The animals illustrated

for this project areclose to my heart, as Iwas born in Malaysia,

on the island ofBorneo.

The 2019 field course group at Cabang Panti ResearchStation.

The course presenters (and organizers) were ProfessorAndrew Marshall (One Forest Project) from theUniversity of Michigan teaching in biologicalanthropology, tropical ecology and conservationbiology, Mr. Endro Setiawan from GPNP and head ofCabang Panti Research Station, teaching para-taxonomy and botany, and Mr. Kiki Prio Utomo, fromTanjungpura University, who teaches in environmentalengineering specializing in hydrology and limnologyconservation.

Lectures from hydrology expert Mr. Kiki Prio Utomoabout the water, by the water.

The course kicked off at the GPNP office in Ketapangwith two lectures; an Introduction of Tropical RainForests by Dr. Marshall and Capturing Biodiversitythrough Photography by Endro Setiawan. Thefollowing day we set off towards the Cabang PantiResearch Station in the heart of GPNP. After a 2-hourcar journey from Ketapang to the small village ofTanjung Gunung, we started our 5 hour hike - makingpretty good time for such a large group! What greetedus first was the amazing suspension bridge abovecrystal clear water - somewhat like a Tarzan bridgethat preludes to the adventures that surround thisrainforest research station.

The forests inSoutheast Asia are one

of the oldest forestsystems on earth, andis home to incrediblyunique wildlife and

plants. We must neverforget that we share

our home with millionsof species, and thatbiodiversity is what

makes nature sowonderful and awe-

inspiring, an invaluableresource we cannot

afford to lose.''

Thank you Natelle forhonoring us with your

amazing illustratorskills!

Stunning sunbearNatelle designed forGPOCP fundraising!

Natelle's designs andothers will soon be

available as T-shirts tosupport our projects-

stay tuned!

GPNP Wins 3rd inNational Parks

Festival

This year theIndonesian National

Parks Festival was heldin Bali. Gunung PalungNational Park (GPNP)

was there to showcasethe area and their

conservation efforts,which includes theircollaborations with

GPOCP! We are very

Applied plant ecology and identification lectures by Mr.Endro Setiawan, from Gunung Palung National Park.

The field lectures included plant ecology andvertebrate tropical rainforest ecology, an introductionto vertebrate surveying, camera trapping, trackinganimals and footprints, evolution and taxonomy ofplants, plant characteristics, plant photography,introduction to scientific research, orangutans,sampling design and statistical basis, hydrology andwater conservation.

The most challenging aspect to learn was the botany.We were introduced to 15 plant families and learnedtheir general characteristics. We were taught toidentify plants by looking at the types of leaves, thelocation of leaves, stipule, sap, and smell. At the endof that module, a plant identification quiz was held.The staff prepared a variety of plant samples by takingstalks and leaves and placing them on a table. Eachparticipant was given time to determine the family ofeach plant. Most of the participants were able toidentify 10 of the 15 plants, with the highest scorebeing 13.

Tropical rainforest ecology field lecture by Dr. Marshall

happy and proud tohear that GPNP won3rd place for best

informational stand!Well done all!

GPNP stand at theIndonesian National

Parks Festival in Bali,2019.

GPOCP has workedwith GPNP for over 30years, so we provided

two info-graphicshighlighting our

conservation goals,along with brochures,stickers, artisan Non-

Timber Forest Productssuch as mats, bags and

bracelets, andCustomary Forestproducts such as

coffee, honey and fishcrackers.

GPNP festival teamwith their award at theNational Parks Festival

in Bali.

from One Forest Project & University of Michigan. The next module that was very new for us was on thetopic of hydrology delivered by Mr. Kiki Prio Utomofrom Tanjungpura University Faculty of Engineering.The biggest take away from that course material wasthat forests greatly affect rainfall in and around allforest areas. Based on the results of a 2015 study,when large fires occurred throughout Kalimantan,rainfall recorded at Cabang Panti Research Station wasvery high in contrast to other regions, thus preventingcatastrophic damage to our area.

Learning about tropical rainforests whilst literally inthe midst of one of the last wildlife strongholds inBorneo was beyond inspiring and provided a relaxingatmosphere to learn and and build great camaraderiewith the other participants. The main focus of thefield course was about scientific research. We weretaught research design from formulating a researchquestion, making a hypothesis, and collecting andanalyzing field data. During the last few days, wewere given an assignment and broken into 4 groupswith different research topics in order to apply ournewly gained skills and knowledge. First, each groupdiscussed research topics and presented researchproposals to the lecturers. One project was aboutmoths, one about epiphytes, another on butterflies,and one about hydrology. The following two days weput our field techniques to the test by collectingsamples and analyzing the data obtained. Next, wepresented the results of our mini research projects.The projects demonstrated the complexity of fulfillinga project from theory to data collection to a finalpresentation. And though we had to consult Dr.Marshall on numerous occasions, we all learned somuch about applied research design, including fieldtechniques, teamwork, and adaptability.

Tree identification training using leaves and treestructure.

Choose GPOCP as your AmazonSmile recipient and 0.05% of your

sales w ill go directly to us.

"A small body of

determined spirits,fired by an

unquenchable faithin their mission, canalter the course of

history."

Mahatma Gandhi

To our surprise and delight, we got to see some of themore unorthodox inhabitants of Cabang Panti as well,such as Edi, the wild boar. Edi lives in the forestsaround the research station and we saw him movingaround the edges of camp, and sometimes even underthe main building at night to shelter from the rain!Another friendly inhabitant was the monitor lizard,named Hugo, who came by at night. We were alsojoined by bigger-than-excepted fish and even someturtles when we swam in the river!

Group presentations on mini research projects. Photos© Simon Tampubolon

In our spare time (usually at night) we were neverwithout things to do. We learned from some of thefield assistants how to weave bracelets from rawmaterials and to carve canarium fruit seeds intonecklace charms. We played jenga, chess, and tabletennis, as well as sang and played the guitar when weweren't helping the kitchen staff prepare food. Weforgot about our gadgets and stress from the cities,and enjoyed being present in the simple beautiful lifeof the forest and each other's company.

After our time in the forest, and our spirited hike backdown the mountain - we had to say good bye to ournew found friends and colleagues. It was bittersweetand nostalgic, as the field course had felt a little likesummer camp with lots of laughs, learning and fun! Wecan't wait for next year, and we are very thankful toOne Forest Project and Gunung Palung National Parkfor hosting this great field course!

Historical Data Leads to New DiscoveriesBy Amy Scott, PhD Candidate at University of Boston

Our lab investigates how reproductive strategiesimpact the sociality of orangutans by utilizing long-term behavioral data from the orangutans in Gunung

Palung National Park. Because primates tend to behighly social mammals, they are ideal for studying howecological and social factors impact the size andstructure of groups. Reproductive strategies, such assearching for mates or avoiding potential infanticidalmales, can impact grouping patterns. Infanticide is thepurposeful killing of an infant of the same species. It isa common reproductive strategy by male primates inwhich a male kills another male's infant, resulting inthat mother being able to conceive again sooner thanshe would have if her offspring had lived. Thisbehavior can lead to more offspring by the infanticidalmale because he will be able to mate with thatmother sooner than he would have if the infant lived.By our standards, this may seem harsh, but animportant principle in natural selection is thatgenetically inherited behavioral traits that lead tomore offspring will be passed on to the nextgeneration at a higher frequency and therefore spreadthrough a population.

Three-year-old Bayas watches her mother, Bibi, eatingtermites. Mother orangutans with younger offspringspend less time with male orangutans than motherswith older offspring or females without offspring.

Female primates employ a variety of strategies toreduce infanticide risk. For example, chimpanzeesexhibit a 'maternity leave' behavior in which motherswith new offspring spend more time alone than usual.This behavior can serve to protect new offspring.Because orangutans are semi-solitary, only spendingabout 10% of their time in a social encounter withanother orangutan, a female with young offspringcould employ a similar male-avoidance behavior inorder to protect her offspring. Orangutans arehypothesized to be vulnerable to infanticide for avariety of reasons and we suspect that there was aninfanticide event at Cabang Panti in 2015 (See Code

Red vol. 40 for more details). So, we decided toanalyze long-term social data in order to investigatewhether mothers with young offspring avoid males. We examined all of the social interactions betweenmale and female orangutans in the Cabang Pantidatabase from 1994-2003 and 2008-2016. (The break indata collection is because the field site was closeddue to regional safety concerns, including the threatof illegal logging.) We found that mothers with infantsyounger than 6 years old interacted with males lessfrequently than did mothers with offspring over 6years old and females without offspring. Likewise,when an interaction between a female and a male didoccur, mother with offspring under 6 years old spentless time with males than did mothers with offspringover 6 and females without offspring. Finally, theaverage distance between mother and offspring wascloser when they were interacting with a male thanwhen the mother and offspring were alone orinteracting with a non-related female. These threepieces of evidence indicate that females alter theirsocial interactions in order to protect offspring frommales. These findings add to our understanding oforangutan sociality, and more broadly, contribute to adeeper understanding of how social and reproductivefactors influence primate sociality.

In this more relaxed moment of following orangutans,Dang (field assistant) is able to take a moment to sit

and get off his feet, while still collecting feeding dataon an Ipad. Can you spot the two orangutans eating

mangoes in this photo? Photos © Amy Scott.

In scientific research, the strength of your finding ishugely dependent on the amount of data you analyze.Because orangutan interactions are infrequent, it takesa long time to amass enough data on social interactionsto systematically study them. For this study we

analyzed 20 years of data collection - and collectingthis data was no small feat!

This research is only possible because teams of fieldassistants, volunteers, students, post-docs andmanagers have been collecting and organizing thisdata day in and day out for 20 years. Many others areinvolved in the logistics that have enabled the projectto run in this remote rainforest location. And evenmore individuals and organizations have donated fundsto support the conservation and research of GPOCP.This exciting finding that female orangutans areindeed avoiding males when they have youngeroffspring is only possible because of the long-termnature of the project's database. We can only imaginewhat more we will learn about this endangered ape inthe next 10 or 20 years as continued data collectionenables us to answer more questions about theircryptic lives.

Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program (GPOCP) http://saveGPorangutans.org savegporangutans@gmail.com

Orangutan Photographs © Tim Laman

All other photographs © GPOCP