Morgan is raising funds so he can travel to Sumatra on an 11 day expedition to help SOCP, PanEco and YEL who are working hard to help save the critically endangered Sumatran Orangutan.
Situated on the equator, Sumatra is the 6th largest island in the world and has some of the most extraordinary wildlife, wilderness and culture on this planet. It’s hot and humid, with incredible jungles – making it a very challenging environment.
Sumatra’s forests are home to Sumatran Elephants and its own species of Sumatran Orang-utan, Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhino, Flying lizards, Snakes and Frogs; none of which are found anywhere else on the planet!
This project will enable me work with leading conservation organisations such as Pan Eco and it’s Sumatran Orang-utan Conservation Programme (SOCP), the Foundation for Sustainable Ecosystem (YEL) and the Orang-utan Information Centre (OIC), all of whom are making a real contribution to saving Sumatra’s unique wildlife and their habitat.
I will be working with experienced wildlife experts and guides undertaking field research that may include; Orang-utan nest counting, identifying food species and discovering how Orangutans live in the wild. The project will also include an amazing Jungle river journey deep in to the jungle forests to help with project work at the SOCP’s remote Sikunder Research Station.
Using established links with universities and species experts, I will have the opportunity to undertake night walks, to learn first hand about Sumatra’s incredible nocturnal creatures and of course a range of daytime jungle treks to discover the myriad plant, insect, amphibian and bird species.
In addition the team I am in will contribute to this vital project through working in forest restoration. We will replant damaged and degraded forest in and around the Orang-utan Information Centre (OIC).
The Orang-utan Haven is a new project planned by the Pan Eco Foundation and educational centre, established by the SOCP, to create a rainforest information and education centre including a sanctuary for rescued Orang-utans that cannot be returned to the wild because of injury or illness. I will have the opportunity to help in the cultivation and harvesting of fruit and other crops for rescued and orphaned Orangs and to visit the medical quarantine centre for a guided tour of its Orang-utan rehabilitation and veterinary facilities.
I will also visit Pan Eco’s innovative ‘Orang-utan Coffee’ plantations to see how this incredibly popular drink is produced. Working closely with local, small-scale coffee growers in Aceh’s Gayo Highlands in Northern Sumatra, PanEco is pioneering organic, fair trade, wildlife and Orangutan-friendly cultivation and processing methods.
Orang-utan Coffee is now available in the UK from Waitrose and other roasters.