Coffee farmers, NGOs, researchers, and the government joined forces to conserve Javan gibbons and their habitat while boosting the local economy.
The Petungpkriyono Forest in Central Java is a treasure trove of biodiversity. It’s also the area of operation for Kopi Owa or Gibbons Coffee in English, a conservation program that empowers and trains illegal loggers and poachers to become coffee farmers and play a role in the preservation of the forest.
In addition to involving coffee farmers and the wider community in conservation efforts of this endemic primate in Central Java, research using bioacoustics was also carried out to understand more about gibbons and their habitat. Aditya Heru Wardhana and Probo Kushartoyo report from Central Java.
The average person here is just looking for an economy (income), so it’s what they can do, encroaches the forest, illegal logging, bird poaching too, because it’s out of necessity
Tasuri, coffee farmer (former illegal logger and bird poacher)
These local products can be marketed, so the income is high and does not clear up existing forest area. So it’s mutually beneficial. Gibbons can live in the forest, humans can also use the forest for gardening but not destroy it
Nur Aoliyah, Javan gibbon researcher
Liputan oleh Aditya Heru Wardhana dan Probo Kushartoyo ini pertama kali terbit di CNN TV Indonesia pada tanggal 5 September 2021 dan dihasilkan dengan dana beasiswa dari program Inisiatif Media Keanekaragaman Hayati oleh Internews’ Earth Journalism Network yang didukung oleh Arcadia – organisasi amal milik Peter Baldwin dan Lisbet Rausing.
