BOS e.V. Wild Animal Habitat Indonesia
ABOUT BOS
Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Germany e.V. is committed to the conservation of the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) and its natural habitat, the tropical rainforest on Borneo. Our partner on Borneo is the BOS Foundation, which operates two orangutan rehabilitation centres. We work with BOS Foundation in the following areas: rehabilitation and subsequent release of injured or orphaned orangutans, protected area management, forest and peatland restoration, and sustainable community development by creating alternative sources of income on Borneo. Awareness raising and education are further important pillars of our work.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Our project with the Tierschutz-Stiftung Wolfgang Bösche started in September 2024. With the help of the Tierschutz-Stiftung, we can enhance the BOS reforestation site Samboja Lestari as a wildlife oasis and contribute to its protection. With the support of the Tierschutz-Stiftung, 600 trees can be grown, planted and cared for over a period of five years.
The forest at Samboja Lestari: Samboja Lestari is a 1,763-hectare reforestation site of the BOS Foundation in eastern Borneo, where one of the two orangutan rehabilitation centres is also located. Samboja Lestari has been owned by the BOS Foundation since 2001.
Before the BOS Foundation started working at Samboja Lestari, the rainforest in this area had been completely destroyed. What remained was a barren grass savannah. Through its impressive reforestation efforts as part of the “Creating a Living Forest” project, BOS was able to reestablish a young rainforest, which is now home again to many of the original animal and plant species. Over 700 different plant species, many of which are endangered and on the Red List, have already been planted at Samboja Lestari.
Although there are currently no wild orangutans living in the Samboja Lestari forest, the area has become home to many other wild animal species such as wild boar, deer and snakes. Biodiversity surveys in 2024 identified 21 mammal species, 67 bird species and 15 herpetofauna species, including endangered species such as the miller gibbon, the sun bear, the horse deer, the thick-billed leafbird and the Malay hornbill. BOS is therefore still working in Samboja Lestari today to reforest, maintain and protect the forest. The preservation and further development of the still young rainforest is particularly relevant in the context of Indonesia’s new capital, which is currently under construction not far from our rehabilitation centre. In the future, Samboja Lestari will become a wildlife oasis in the urban area and possibly serve as a link between other forest habitats.
Photos: Wild animals that live in the Samboja Lestari reforestation area © BOS Foundation
Need for habitat enhancement: It is impressive to see how, after only two decades, a new rainforest has already grown on the previously deforested area. Nevertheless, the forest in Samboja Lestari still cannot provide sufficient food and canopy cover for all wildlife. Therefore, BOS continues to plant tree species that are beneficial to wildlife by providing food or nesting sites.
Photo: Samboja Lestari before and after reforestation by BOS © BOS Foundation
Project aim: The project will help to create a forest that has sufficient carrying capacity to function as a habitat for wildlife on Borneo.
Planned activities that BOS will implement with the support of the Tierschutz-Stiftung:
- Construction of a tree nursery at Samboja Lestari and production of approximately 600 tree seedlings which can later serve as food and nesting trees for wildlife, or procurement of 600 seedlings from existing nurseries.
- Planting of about 600 individuals of native tree species (the number of species depends on local availability), spread over an area of 1.5 hectares.
- Maintenance, monitoring and protection of the planted trees and the surrounding forest over a period of five years. This includes the removal of weeds and other plants in the surrounding area, fertilization and, if necessary, replanting. Experience has shown that after five years the trees have adapted to the physical conditions and other trees in the area.
Intended impact: After five years, it is expected that most of the planted trees will have survived and can be left to their own devices to take their place in the forest ecosystem as food and shelter for wildlife. In the long term, the trees will form part of a forest corridor for wildlife.
On behalf of the wild animals living in Samboja Lestari, we would like to thank the Tierschutz-Stiftung Wolfgang Bösche for the generous support!
WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED
Updates on project progress will be made available from 2025 onwards.
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more information on BOS Deutschland e.V. can be found at https://www.orangutan.de/en/