where do orangutans live

Samboja Lestari

Samboja Lestari 1°2′44″S 116°59′15″E / 1.04556°S 116.9875°E / -1.04556; 116.9875 is a reforestation project on nearly 2000 ha of burnt land in Kaltim. In 2001, BOS started purchasing land near Wanariset. The area it acquired had been deforested by mechanical logging, drought and severe fires and was covered in alang-alang grass (Imperata cylindrica). The aim was to restore the rainforest and provide a safe haven for rehabilitated orangutans while at the same time providing a source of income for local people. The name Samboja Lestari roughly translates as the "everlasting conservation of Samboja".[15] Reforestation and rehabilitation is the core of the project, with hundreds of indigenous species planted. By the middle of 2006 more than 740 different tree species had been planted.[16]

The Orangutan Reintroduction Project at Wanariset was moved to Samboja Lestari. "Forest Schools" were established, areas that provide natural, educational playgrounds for the orangutans in which to learn forest skills. Here the orangutans roam freely but under supervision and are returned to sleeping cages for the night. "Orangutan islands" were created where the orangutans and other wildlife that cannot return to the wild are nevertheless able to live in almost completely natural conditions.

At his 2009 TED talk Smits claimed there had been a substantial increase in cloud cover and 30% more rainfall due to the reforestation at Samboja Lestari.[17]

To finance the nature reserve, BOS created a system of "land-purchasing", a "Create Rainforest" initiative where sybolically adopt square metres of rainforest.[18] Donors are able to view and follow the progress of their "purchase" in the project area with Google Earth satellite images from 2002 and 2007 with additional information overlaid.[19]

The Samboja Lodge[20]

The SarVision Satellite Natural Resources Monitoring Centre.