Mangara

Landscape of SEKA (2,348,000 ha, with 47% forest cover) is one of WWF-Indonesia (WWF-ID)’s priority landscape due to its significance to biodiversity and development in Kalimantan. It has been home and a safe haven for unique endemic species such as orangutans and proboscis monkeys for thousands of years. It is one of the important landscapes in Kalimantan Island (also known as Borneo Island) that is rich in social and natural resources, where opportunities and interests towards biodiversity conservation and ecosystem protection and economic development collide. WWF-ID recent assessments show that it is imperative to work on the strategic and important linkage between ecosystems, species, and human well-being targets. There are about 1.7 million ha intact forests in the landscape, home to at least 9,700 P.p. wurmbii orangutans and 500 proboscis monkeys (around 70% of which are living outside protected areas), and the presence of at least 18 flowing rivers, providing ecosystem services (incl. fresh water and food sources, livelihoods, and energy generation) to indigenous people in the landscape. Moreover, the ecological gradients from lowland forests (60%), heat forests (39%), swamp and peat forests (26%) in the landscape, support not only rich biodiversity, but also contain massive carbon deposits. The fact that a third of the landscape comprises of peat lands, WWF-ID conservation work in SEKA landscape through this proposed project is highly relevant to global climate change mitigation in the way it prevents carbon emissions and addresses anthropogenic factors that may degrade the river basins of Katingan, Kahayan and Sebangau. Orangutans and Proboscis Monkeys, the endemic species of Kalimantan, that are listed as "Critically Endangered" and "Endangered" by IUCN consecutively, are greatly affected by deforestation and climate change. Forest conversion and degradation, as well as seasonal food shortage and disasters (floods and fires) due to climate change will deprive them and force them to move and face risks of conflict with human beings and unsafe dispersal. This is extremely concerning as 92% of forests in SEKA landscape are habitat of orangutans and 13% are habitat of proboscis monkey, but there are more than 117 habitat fragments without any connection or linkage in the landscape. Moreover, 168,835 ha orangutan habitats are located within planned deforestation sites. Not only endemic wildlife, the adverse impacts of climate change have also affected Indigenous People in Central Kalimantan who have been living in harmony with rivers for centuries. In recent years, nvironmental and social problems have occurred more often in river basins on which people are dependent in EKA landscape caused by deforestation, degradation, and other unsustainable practices.