Gunung Palung National Park

Asia > Indonesia > Gunung Palung National Park

Summary

• Southwest Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) are present in Gunung Palung National Park.
• It has been estimated that 2,500 individuals occur in the site.
• The orangutan population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of 1,080 km².
• Key threats to orangutans are deforestation, fires, the illegal pet trade and killings due to orangutan-human conflict.
• Conservation activities have focused on habitat restoration, education, and improving farming methods.

Site characteristics

Gunung Palung National Park (GPNP) is located in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The park comprises many habitat types, including mangrove forest, peat swamp forest, lowland rainforest, and montane forest. The site represents an important area for the conservation of several species, such as Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), sun bears (Helarctos malayanus), helmeted hornbills (Rhinoplax vigil), agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis), Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), and Horsfield’s tarsier (Tarsius bancanus) (Husna & Helms 2018, GPOCP [1]). The park was first protected in 1937 and comprised an area of 300 sq. km, which was later expanded to 1,080 sq. km (Husna & Helms 2018).

Table 1. Basic site information for Gunung Palung National Park

Area	1,080 km²
Coordinates	-0.938512, 109.960153
Designation	National Park
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

The first orangutan survey at the site was conducted in 2001 (Johnson et al. 2005). Average orangutan density was estimated at 3.0 individuals/km2, with densities ranging from 2.4 ind/km2 in montane forest to 4.1 ind/km2 in primary peat swamp (Johnson et al. 2005).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Gunung Palung National Park

Species	Year	Abundance estimate (95% CI)	Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI)	Encounter rate (nests/km)	Area	Method	Source	Comments	A.P.E.S. database ID
Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii	2001	2,500	3.0		Gunung Palung National Park and buffer zone	Line transects (Distance)	Johnson et al. 2005

Threats

Table 3. Threats to apes in Gunung Palung National Park

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Quantified severity	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development		Unknown
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Present, but threat severity unknown		In areas near settlements and with low elevation, forests are converted to mixed agriculture, such as paddy farming or gardening. In hilly areas forests are converted into mixed plantations of rubber, durians, chilies, or other products (Husna & Helms 2018).	Ongoing (2018)
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Present, but threat severity unknown		Orangutans are sometimes killed when they venture into plantations or crop fields to forage. This human-wildlife conflict is magnified when orangutans flee from forest fires and move into human settlements (GPOCP n.d., Freund, Rahnmann & Knott 2017)	Ongoing (2017)
	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	High	The deforestation rate was 112 ha/year in 2017 and has declined since the late 90s (Husna & Helms 2018).	Illegal logging (Johnson et al. 2005, Fawzi, Husna & Helms 2018).	Ongoing (2018)
6. Human intrusion & disturbance		Unknown
7. Natural system modifications	7.1 Fire & fire suppression	Present, but threat severity unknown		Fires in 1991, 1994, and 1997 burned thousands of hectares in the park and buffer zone (Johnson et al. 2005). Wildfires are hampering habitat restoration efforts (Fawzi et al. 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases		Unknown
9. Pollution		Unknown
10. Geological Events		Absent
11. Climate change & severe weather		Unknown
12. Other options	12.1 Other threat	Present, but threat severity unknown		Illegal pet trade; babies are sold as pets. Furthermore, a correlation between the extent of oil palm and the number of poaching/pet trade cases reported has been found (Freund, Rahnmann & Knott 2017)	Ongoing (2017)

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities in Gunung Palung National Park

Category	Specific activity	Description	Year of activity
1. Residential & commercial development	Not reported
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.11. Farm more intensively and effectively in selected areas and spare more natural land	Help farmers adopt organic methods and increase the efficiency of their existing land (GPOCP).	Ongoing
3. Energy production & mining	Not reported
4. Transportation & service corridors	Not reported
5. Biological resource use	5.17. Provide sustainable alternative livelihoods; establish fish- or domestic meat farms	Teaching community groups to set up aquaculture (fish farming) in their villages (GPOCP).	Ongoing
6. Human intrusion & disturbance	Not reported
7. Natural system modifications	Not reported
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases	Not reported
9. Pollution	Not reported
10. Education & Awareness	10.1. Educate local communities about primates and sustainable use	Activities include in-school programs, field trips to the National Park and our Bentangor Environmental Education Center (GPOCP).	Ongoing
	10.5. Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions	Conservation awareness raising via radio shows, social media, billboards, posters, and mobile cinema (GPOCP).	Ongoing
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat		Ongoing (2020)
	11.8. Plant indigenous trees to re-establish natural tree communities in clear-cut areas	From 2009 till 2018, nearly 5000 ha of damaged forest in Gunung Palung National Park were replanted, but with only a 1% restoration success rate, primarily due to wildfires (Fawzi et al. 2020).	Ongoing (2020)
12. Species Management	Not reported
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	13.2. Provide non-monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. better education, infrastructure development)	Since 2007, Health In Harmony has partnered with Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI) and communities near Gunung Palung National Park. Health in Harmony provides access to affordable, high-quality health care, as much of the income people make from logging goes toward paying medical bills (Health in Harmony).	Ongoing

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Gunung Palung National Park

Challenge	Source
Lack of law enforcement	Freund, Rahnmann & Knott 2017

Research activities

The Cabang Panti Research Station was established in 1985; the station lies deep within the national park and houses a variety of research projects, including the Gunung Palung Orangutan Project, which began in 1994 (GPOCP ).

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Gunung Palung National Park

Behavior	Source
Kiss-squeak with leaves: Using leaves on mouth to amplify sound, then drop leaf	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Kiss-squeak with hands: Using fists (like trumpet) or flathands on mouth to amplify sound	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Play nests: Building nest for social play (no resting occurs)	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Branch as swatter: Using detached leafy branches to ward off bees/wasps attacking subject (who is usually raiding their nest	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Snag crashing: Aimed pushing of dead standing trees	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Bouquet feeding: Using lips to pick ants from fistful of dry,fresh, or rotting leaves (nests)	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Nest destruction: Rummage through old orangutan nests for insects	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Females rubbing their genitals together	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Use leaf to clean body surface	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Sneaky nest approach: Building series of nests, while approaching conspecific in fruit tree	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Leaf bundle while sleeping (“doll”)	Van Schaik et al. 2003
Leaf scoop: Drinking water from the ground, using leaf as vessel (drinking straight from vessel)	Van Schaik et al. 2003

References

Johnson A E, Knott C D, Pamungkas B, Pasaribu M and Marshall A J 2005 A survey of the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) population in and around Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia based on nest counts Biological Conservation
Fawzi, N. I., Helms, J., Emerson, A., & Wibawanto, M. A. (2020). FOREST RESTORATION PROGRESS AND LESSONS LEARNED IN GUNUNG PALUNG NATIONAL PARK, INDONESIA. Journal of Tropical Forest Science, 32(2), 195-205.
Fawzi, N. I., Husna, V. N., & Helms, J. A. (2018, May). Measuring deforestation using remote sensing and its implication for conservation in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 149, No. 1, p. 012038). IOP Publishing.
Freund, C., Rahman, E., & Knott, C. (2017). Ten years of orangutan‐related wildlife crime investigation in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. American Journal of Primatology, 79(11), 22620.

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 18/12/2021