Habitat Preservation
Kutal Orangutan Conservaton
Kutai National Park (200,000 hectares) in East Kalimantan is one of the lastremaining strongholds of the Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). In 1997, the park experienced extensive loss due to El Niño-related fires that swept through Kalimantan. The monoliths of standing dead wood rising 40 meters above the regenerating understory are testimony to the rich forest that once stood there.
In 2007, one of Eagle Ridge Paper’s suppliers approached SMF with a request to help solve an ongoing problem – Orangutan migration into a plantation concession adjoining the southern boundary of the Kutai National Park. SMF initiated an investigation for a solution to the challenge that would ensure the survival of the Orangutan, as well as provide for the economic viability of the plantation.

As a first step, SMF approached park officials and initiated the formation of a Working Group, to include Kutai National Park officials, civil society groups, BKSDA (The Natural Resources Conservation Agency), private sector companies, the Center of International Forest Research (CIFOR) and The Nature Conservancy (an international NGO). This Working Group was convened to discuss options on how the Park could best be managed to support the identified Orangutan population. The engagement highlighted three broad concerns for the park:
- Occupation and forest encroachment by local and migrant communities
- Threats from ongoing mining and adjoining land uses; and
- Threats from illegal activities including poaching, wildlife trading and illegal logging.
Our suppliers have invested more than $220,000 in the ongoing development of the Orangutan conservation, and activities that also extend into socio-economic issues. This figure excludes employment-related costs of staff involved in these forest conservation initiatives.

Sumatran Tiger Conservation
As a part of our long-standing commitment to “Conservation Beyond Compliance,” Eagle Ridge Paper and our suppliers support its exclusive fiber supplier, Sinarmas Forestry (SMF), in its active participation in the development of the Senepis-Buluhala Tiger Conservation Area. The Senepis-Buluhala Conservation area is a 100,000 ha area of forest in the Senepis Forest of Northern Riau and known to have one of the highest densities of tigers in Sumatra.
Through its role as a leading member of the Working Group (WG), SMF assists in managing this conservation area, which is crucial for the continued survival and preservation of the Sumatran Tiger.
An SMF representative serves as the Vice Chairman of the Working Group, a multi-stakeholder conservation effort whose participants include: forest concession holders; representatives from the Riau Province Forestry Service and other local Forestry Services; the Natural Resources and Conservation Agency (BBKSDA) of Riau Province; the Wildlife Conservation Society – Indonesian Program (WCS-IP); and the Foundation of Sumatran Tiger Conservation and Protection (YPKHS).
The Sumatran tiger conservation and protection activities conducted by YPKHS is also supported by the Sumatran Tiger Trust Conservation Program (STTCP). On July 6, 2007, the Riau Forestry Service authorized the WG to develop and participate in projects that will ensure the survival of the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger. As a leading member of the WG, our suppliers have participated in many of the group’s activities and efforts over the past years, most recently in an effort to improve awareness of the area’s protected status and prevent illegal and dangerous activities in the area. After ratification in July 2007, the WG began to work with villagers from Rokan Hilir District to implement programs that would improve tiger protection and preservation. In August 2007, villagers from Rokan Hilir District captured a wild Sumatran Tiger that had come in contact with them. Upon learning of this, representatives of the WG came to the village to ensure the appropriate and safe release of the tiger. The tiger was temporarily fitted with a radio collar donated by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and released into the conservation area. The radio collar enables the group to track the tiger’s movement in real-time through GPS monitoring and compile data on where the tiger lives, hunts and thrives. This provides the group with a clearer picture of which areas are the most valuable habitats for the tigers and need to be preserved.
Eagle Ridge Paper, together with our supplier SMF, look forward to continuing work on the Sumatran Tiger conservation.

