Sebangau National Park is one of the most important remaining strongholds for wild orangutans anywhere on Earth. Spanning vast peat swamp forests in Central Kalimantan, this landscape is home to nearly 9,000 orangutans, a significant portion of the world’s remaining wild population.
But this forest has not escaped damage.
For decades, illegal logging carved canals deep into the peatlands to transport timber out of the forest. These canals drained the peat, drying what was once a naturally wet and resilient ecosystem. As the land dried, the forest became increasingly vulnerable to degradation and devastating fires that threaten wildlife, biodiversity, and the future of the ecosystem itself.
Today, BOS Foundation is working alongside local communities, government agencies, researchers, and conservation partners to help restore and protect this critical landscape, managing 10,000 hectares of forest.
One of the most important parts of this work is peatland restoration. By blocking old logging canals, we can begin to rehydrate the peat forest and restore its natural hydrology. Healthy peatlands retain water, resist fire, store enormous amounts of carbon, and support rich biodiversity, including orangutans.
Alongside canal blocking, we are carrying out reforestation and Assisted Natural Regeneration efforts to help damaged areas recover. Native tree species are replanted throughout the landscape, helping rebuild habitat for orangutans and countless other species that depend on these forests.
Sebangau is extraordinarily biodiverse. In addition to orangutans, the park supports hundreds of bird, reptile, and mammal species, many of which are threatened or endangered. Long-term biodiversity monitoring helps us better understand how wildlife populations are changing and how restoration efforts are improving the health of the ecosystem over time.
Protecting forests at this scale also means working closely with the people who call these landscapes home.
Local communities are deeply involved in conservation efforts across Sebangau, from reforestation work and nursery management to fire prevention and forest monitoring. Community partnerships are essential to long-term conservation success, helping create sustainable livelihoods while protecting the natural resources both people and wildlife depend upon.
What Comes Next
This work is already making a difference, but there is still far more to do.
BOS Foundation currently manages a large tract of forest in Sebangau under an active conservation agreement, and we have now been approved to expand this work through a longer-term commitment and the opportunity to secure an additional 10,000 hectares of rainforest habitat.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching a new initiative to help protect and restore these critical forests, ensuring more habitat can be secured for wild orangutans and future generations alike.
Text by: BOS-UK/USA
Will you help us rescue, rehabilitate, and release orangutans back to freedom? Thank you!
