Friday, November 28, 2014

Shade Grown Coffee and Biodiversity Study in Javan Gibbon Habitat

We have selected forest coffee land, belong to farmers in Sokokembang village, to study about shade grown coffee in the Javan gibbon habitat, as based line data for further management of shadegrown coffee in Sokokembang. This year we have initial agreement with four farmers which have  3 ha approximately of forest coffee, to learn about shade grown coffee and trying to develop sustainable way of coffee production. Biodiversity study on shade grown coffee also have been started based on selected taxa. We use camera trap for small mammals  study and butterfly diversity in the shade grown coffee habitat. Study on vegetation also more intense on shade trees that frequently used by the javan gibbon and othe primates as food resources
vegetation analysis in forest coffee habitat

camera trapping in the forest coffee habitat.

Saturday, November 1, 2014

New Hope for world's most endangered primate, Javan slow loris.


Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) or Kukang, is one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world.  This nocturnal primate is threatened by hunting and habitat loss. In the whole island of Java, their record distribution mentioned in west java and east java. We have tried also to conduct night survey in central java, province, to provide latest information on the existence of Kukang, while doing diurnal primate survey (to update distribution of javanese primate, Javan gibbon, Javan surili, and Javan ebony langur/Lutung). Some priorities area for night survey was determined by interview of people nearby the forest. If they mentioned good information on Kukang sighting we do apply night survey in certain distance.

Our field work was finally found good result, first sighting of wild Kukang is in 18 December 2013. We have got Kukang caught by  a farmer in Temanggung district, we got the photos from the wild and soon released in to their habitat. Based on this finding in 2014 we conduct more intensive survey, during September – October 2014, and the result is  at least eight (8) individual were sighted.

Further conservation activities is urgently needed to preserve this wild population. Kukang habitat is remaining in the coffee plantation with high pressure of human activities, including wild animal hunting and logging. The area is also far away from the conservation area system. Supporting local community to protect and enhance their knowledge on the  important value forest and Kukang population is critically important to do.

This survey was done as a part of “Coffee andPrimate Conservation Project 2014”, supported by Rufford small grant foundation -2013 field survey, Fortwayne Children's Zoo, Wildlife Reserve Singapore,  Ostrava Zoo, and Wildlife lab Faculty ofForestry-Gadjah Mada University. Please contact us for further corespondence :wawan5361 (at) yahoo.com.