SOS (Sumatran Orangutan Society) has a new project partner – Nature for Change (NFC).

They work to save the forests of the Leuser Ecosystem by addressing the survival of people living near the ecosystem’s buffer zone.

Back in 2019, they enabled farmers to plant 5,000 fruit trees.   They are growing another 5,000 in their community tree nursery – and these will be planted in 2020.

The team has started to work with farmers on bee-keeping as another way to make a living.  An expert visited them in January 2020 to train the farmers who were taking part in how to set up beehive and the hives will have bees in them very soon!

NFC also has implemented its border patrol team.   They have been trained by national part officers and they are working on a number of things:

• They maintain the trails along the national park border
• They fix and replace signs
• They record observations about wildlife tracks and signs along the border
• They meet with farmers to build trust and gain their understanding so that they can appreciate how the farmers feel about wildlife.

The team has also installed camera traps along animal trails.  These will give them a good understanding of the kind of wildlife in the area – wild pigs, Thomas leaf monkeys and porcupines have been spotted already.  This is invaluable information because it helps the team plan their work with farmers and their crops.

This is all very exciting, because locals are essential in any battle to preserve habitat for wildlife and yet give those living there an income.

You can find out more and donate here.