Overall objectives of the project

1. To develop information resources on Islamic teachings related to the protection of natural resources, with a focus towards the Sumatran orangutan and the Gunung Leuser National Park

2. To disseminate information on Islamic principles related to natural resource conservation and species protection to Islamic religious leaders, local Islamic schools as well as communities around the Gunung Leuser National Park.

3. To engage local communities to actively participate in the conservation of the GLNP and the protection of critically endangered Sumatran orangutans, culminating in the replanting of 20 hectares of degraded national park land with indigenous forest tree species.

4. To train Islamic community organisation leaders and teachers in Islamic schools to integrate natural resource conservation into their regular teaching and curriculum.
 

YAYASAN ORANGUTAN SUMATRA LESTARI - THE ORANGUTAN INFORMATION CENTRE

Mission Statement

The Orangutan Information Centre (OIC) is dedicated to the conservation of Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) and their forest homes. Our grassroots projects in Sumatra work with local communities living alongside orangutan habitat to promote public awareness of the plight and the value of this critically endangered species and its unique forest home. The OIC plants trees, visits schools and villages, and provides training to help local people work towards a more sustainable future. We are a local NGO staffed by Indonesian university graduates, working under the notion that Sumatran people are best suited to have an impact in and assist the conservation effort in Sumatra.

Objectives

- To raise public awareness of threats to and conservation strategies for the Sumatran orangutan through community education and global communication

- To educate and empower Sumatran youths through environmental education and awareness projects for local schools

- To promote sustainable community development initiatives in local communities through training and capacity building

- To collaborate with local and international NGOs and businesses with parallel goals. Long-term goals - Conserve the endemic, critically endangered Sumatran orangutan and its rainforest ecosystem home; - Work with local communities towards the preservation and regeneration of rainforest habitat

- Assist local government in the protection and maintenance of protected areas

- Promote orangutans as global conservation ambassadors for the rainforest ecosystem

- Support the establishment of conservation education curriculum and community empowerment programmes in Sumatra.

The OIC was established in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia in 2001. We promote Sumatran orangutan conservation issues amongst local communities in the provinces of North Sumatra and Aceh, Indonesia. Currently, we focus much of our efforts on projects in and around the Gunung Leuser National Park (GLNP), part of the UNESCO Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra World Heritage Site, with much work done specifically in the Langkat district of North Sumatra. This is located within the East Leuser habitat unit which supports 1,052 Sumatran orangutans, nearly 16% of the estimated population of 6,624 remaining in the wild.