CORE BORNEO

Adult Education and Employment

TORP currently employs approximately 15 members of the local community, most of whom were working as miners and loggers prior to working with us. These local people now have stable full-time work, providing them with alternative livelihoods that don’t rely on destructive environmental practices. Furthermore, they are directly engaged in research and education activities, and thus well informed about local conservation issues. By strengthening the educational base of the entire community, our funding helps promote the conservation of orangutans, the forest, water sources, and biodiversity. By continuing to involve local community members within the Tuanan research project and education programs in local communities, we aim to work with the universities to increase public awareness of the immediate threats to orangutans and peatlands in the Mawas Reserve as well as the importance of their conservation. The knowledge our team provides to community members will allow them to better understand the consequences of destroying peatlands and help them become more informed about and supportive of national laws that promote the conservation of forests and orangutans. In these remote areas with poor access to education and information, there is often little understanding of conservation laws, and locals are often misinformed and, as a result, unsupportive of conservation policy and the establishment and management of protected areas.

Community Outreach

In 2015, we funded an adult educational program offered as a series of workshops in seven communities started by University researchers. These workshops were focused on topics linking human well-being with environmental practices. Deforestation and pollution threaten biodiversity, watershed integrity, soil productivity, and climate, which in turn negatively impact human health and livelihoods. These workshops cover special topics, including wildlife conservation, clean water, and waste management. The program staff utilized an interactive and hands-on format and integrate local staff from TORS into these programs as lecturers and activity leaders to increase the interest and engagement of community members.

Furthermore, in these remote areas where education is poor and access to information limited, there is often little awareness and understanding of environmental laws, and locals are often misinformed and unsupportive of conservation policy and the establishment and management of protected areas. These education and outreach programs provide community members with a better understanding of the consequences of destroying peatlands and increase their support for local and national laws that promote the conservation of forests and orangutans.

Capacity Building

We aim to improve the state of scientific research, higher education, and forest management in Indonesia by bringing together Indonesian and American scientists to: 1) offer fields course for Indonesian and American students as well as local stakeholders with an emphasis on conservation and ecosystem management; and 2) train, support, and mentor Indonesian students conducting research at TORS.

It is our goal to increase the scientific capacity and active engagement of Indonesian scientists and other stakeholders to promote public awareness and improve conservation practices by providing funding to Indonesian scientists who work along side Rutgers University researchers.