CORE BORNEO

URGENT UPDATE Oct 25, 2026

Emergency Appeal: Help Save the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station and Surrounding Peatland Forest

The Fires Have Returned to Tuanan

A major wildfire emergency is unfolding in the peat swamp forests surrounding the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Fires are now burning just 500 meters from the research station, threatening not only the facility itself, but also one of the world’s most important long-term research sites for wild orangutans. If these fires continue to spread, they could devastate critical peatland habitat, destroy decades of scientific research, place both wildlife and local communities at risk, and release millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Today, fire crews from the Village of Pasir Putih and the dedicated Tuanan Fire Team are working side by side, day and night, to stop the flames before they reach the station and surrounding forest. However, they urgently need additional resources to continue the fight.

A Globally Important Long-Term Research Landscape

For more than two decades (2003-present), the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station (2o09’ S and 114o26’ E), run and co-directed by Universitas Nasional and Rutgers University through a partnership with Protected Forest Management Unit (KPHL), has served as one of the world’s important long-term field research sites for orangutans and tropical ecology in Southeast Asia. While best known for its study of wild Bornean orangutans, Tuanan is far more than a single-species research project. It is an irreplaceable living laboratory that supports research on tropical forest ecology, wildlife conservation, climate impacts, and ecosystem resilience.

The Tuanan Orangutan Research Station is located in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia and was started with the goals of

1. Building research partnerships and activities related to orangutan conservation and
   research with local communities
2. Carry out research on orangutans, peatland forest dynamics, and biodiversity
3. Promote the training of international and local undergraduate and graduate students in biological and conservation sciences,
4. Ultimately protect one of the largest and most densely populated populations of the critically endangered orangutan species (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii).

Since 2003, we have collected behavioral and health data on over 120 individual orangutans, trained and supported over 270 student researchers, collected daily climate data, and monitored over 2500 trees in our tree monitoring plots each month for tree growth patterns, fruiting, flowering, and leaf flushing – resulting in over 180 peer-reviewed publications. Researchers have collected more than 20 years of continuous data on wild orangutans, creating one of the most comprehensive records of orangutan behavior, ecology, health, nutrition, energetics, reproduction, and life history anywhere in the world. These long-term data allow scientists to understand how animals respond to environmental change across generations, a perspective that is impossible to obtain from short-term studies. Equally unique are the extensive ecological datasets that have been built at Tuanan over decades. These include long-term tree phenology plots tracking forest productivity and food availability, continuous weather and climate monitoring, studies of wild gibbons and other wildlife, research on insect communities, peatland ecology, forest regeneration, and the recovery of ecosystems following fire disturbance. In addition, in collaboration with our Indonesian counterparts, we have run 8 joint study abroad programs and employed over 80 local staff members from communities surrounding the station. Tuanan has also been at the forefront of research documenting the impacts of wildfire on wildlife. Following the devastating fires of 2015 and 2019, researchers documented significant effects on orangutan health, behavior, energy balance, and physiological stress. These studies provided some of the first direct evidence of how recurring peatland fires affect the health and well-being of wild orangutans.

Unfortunately, We Have Seen This Before

The current crisis evokes painful memories of the catastrophic fires that swept across Central Kalimantan in 2015 and again in 2019. In these years, we lost more than 160 hectares of forest in the study area (about 15%).

Those fires burned vast areas of peatland forest, blanketed the region in hazardous smoke, destroyed wildlife habitat, and left lasting scars on the landscape. Recovery has been slow and difficult. Even years later, many areas continue to show the ecological consequences of those events.

Every year, we have tried to prevent fires from returning to Tuanan. This year, we are being overpowered.  Today, the same peatland ecosystem is once again under threat.

Without rapid intervention, these fires can spread across large areas of forest, threatening humans, orangutans, other wildlife, nearby communities, and decades of conservation investment.

Local Heroes on the Front Lines

As the fire advances, local firefighters have mobilized immediately.

Members of the Pasir Putih and Tuanan fire teams are working tirelessly to protect the forest, wildlife, and the research station. These crews are spending long days and nights cutting firebreaks, pumping water onto active fire, monitoring hotspots, and responding to rapidly changing conditions on the ground.

Their dedication is extraordinary, but they cannot stop these fires without adequate equipment and support.

What We Need Right Now

We are seeking emergency funding (Total budget = $100,500) to provide essential firefighting supplies and logistical support, including:

Firefighting Equipment ($30,500)

• Additional hoses and hose connections
• Water pumps/generators to pump water from the hydrants that we have previously installed 
• Fuel and maintenance supplies for firefighting operations
• Fire retardant soap ($300/ bottle)

Support for Firefighters (50 people) for 1.5 Months ($61,000)

• Food and drinking water for crews working extended shifts
• First-aid supplies
• Emergency communication equipment
• Wages (1.5 months for 50 people)

Safety Gear ($3,500)

• Respirators and masks
• Protective clothing
• Boots, gloves, helmets, and eye protection

Transportation and Logistics ($5,500)

• Transportation support for Indonesian government agencies assisting with firefighting efforts
• Boat and vehicle fuel
• Movement of equipment and personnel to active fire zones

Every Contribution Makes a Difference

The coming days and weeks are critical.

Your support will help keep firefighters in the field, maintain water-pumping operations, and provide the equipment needed to prevent these fires from reaching the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station and the surrounding peatland forest.

By supporting this emergency response effort, you are helping to protect:

• A globally significant long-term orangutan research site
• Critical peatland forest habitat
• Endangered Bornean orangutans and countless other species
• The livelihoods and safety of local communities
• Decades of scientific and conservation investment

Please Help Us Protect Tuanan Orangutans and their Forest

The fires are advancing rapidly and our teams are responding with everything they have. With your help, we can provide the resources needed to protect this extraordinary forest and the orangutans that call it home.

Please donate if you can, share this appeal widely, and help us safeguard one of the world’s most important orangutan research landscapes before it is too late.

100% of funds raised through this emergency appeal will be directed toward firefighting operations, equipment, safety supplies, and logistical support for the teams working on the front lines in Tuanan and Pasir Putih.

By supporting this emergency response, you are helping to protect not only endangered orangutans and peatland forests, but also one of the key research programs on orangutans and tropical forests. The knowledge generated at Tuanan has informed conservation policy, advanced our understanding of orangutan biology and human evolution, documented the ecological consequences of wildfire, and revealed how repeated fire events affect the health and survival of wild orangutans. Protecting Tuanan today helps ensure that this critical scientific legacy continues into the future.