In an effort to balance the impact of carbon emissions, associated with flights taken by our employees, Euromonitor is sponsoring the replanting of rainforest in Indonesia via Save the Orangutan. Tragically an announcement was recently made putting the organutan on the critically endangered list which means it is likely to become extinct in the wild.
Forest fires and the spread of palm oil plantations are the two main reasons and there’s no sign of these abating.
On a slightly more optimistic note, Euromonitor’s reforestation project has begun with local communities in Indonesia. Between December 2015 and April 2016 the first 10 hectares of land were reforested with a total of 11,221 seedlings purchased from the Mantangia Village Nursery. During the course of the project a total area of approximately 1,000 hectares will be replanted with seedlings purchased from existing and new nurseries.
The dry season began in April and the replantation project had to be halted. Waiting for the wet season to start again will ensure a good survival rate of the newly planted seedlings. There is widespread support for the programme in the local communities and during the break in planting the focus of the project has been on community engagement. With support from Save the Orangutan 5 community nurseries have been established, involving 68 community members, this work provides each member with a sustainable income and increased know-how in eco-restoration projects. Members are trained in collecting seeds, seedling production, development of the nursery, seedling maintenance and transporting to the planting site.
In the village of Mangkatip, the first community fire team has been established. The team consists of 15 members who have received technical training from the Mawas team. Training covers area protection and fire prevention, including usage of fire equipment and construction of deep wells.
Borneo was once covered with lush rainforest, a great carpet hosting one of the most diverse ecosystems on land. The re-planting of 10 hectares is a small but significant step towards the reforestation of Borneo and the conservation of the orangutan.