In loving memory of:
Makan
2003-2026
Sacramento Zoo
Makan
2003-2026
Sacramento Zoo
2026 Grant Recipient for Emergency Appeal
Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program (GPOCP) has worked throughout the greater Gunung Palung landscape in West Kalimantan for over 30 years, combining long-term field research with community-based forest protection.
Over the past several weeks, our teams and the local communities we work alongside have been fighting fires across our conservation landscape. Despite their extraordinary efforts, the fires are continuing to spread.
As of August 21, 2026, all four Village Forests in one of the landscapes (Sungai Paduan) that GPOCP supports are still burning. Teams are struggling with a severe shortage of water. There are no nearby rivers or canals with any water, and community members are attempting to dig down to find water.
We are facing the very real possibility of losing a significant part of the Sungai Paduan protected forest landscape. A fire breaks out inside one of the Village Forests we support in Sungai Paduan. Community firefighting teams continue to work under extremely dangerous conditions to hold the fire line and prevent further spread.That prospect is particularly alarming because of what has happened around these forests in recent years. Large areas of surrounding orangutan habitat have already been cleared, pushing displaced orangutans into the remaining Village Forests. Our monitoring has shown that orangutan numbers in Sungai Paduan have more than doubled in just three years.
These forests have effectively become a refuge for orangutans that have already lost their habitat once. If we lose this refuge too, many of them have nowhere else to go.
A photo taken by drone shows the urgency of the situation as fires spread through our Village Forests, leaving destruction in their wake, and creating a toxic haze that threatens the health of wildlife and humans alike.
Fire has also broken out in the villages that surround Gunung Palung National Park. Tanjung Gunung Village, the gateway for walking to our research station, is burning. Villagers, GPOCP staff and National Park rangers are fighting to keep this access trail open. But the fire front is literally either side of the trail. It is creating dangerous conditions for researchers and staff travelling through the area and, more worryingly, is moving increasingly close to homes on the edge of the village.
The fires are also creating a growing threat to human health. Thick smoke is now blanketing parts of the region, reducing visibility and exposing thousands of people to the toxic smoke produced by burning peat.
Our teams are fighting this on every front: attempting water bombing in Sungai Paduan, building water reservoirs and drilled wells, blocking canals to slow the fire's spread, and working to secure more firefighting equipment.
Orangutan SSP funds are helping us put more firefighters into the field, purchase hoses and protective equipment, establish desperately needed water sources, and help our teams hold the fire line before more forest is lost.
Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program (GPOCP) has worked throughout the greater Gunung Palung landscape in West Kalimantan for over 30 years, combining long-term field research with community-based forest protection.
Over the past several weeks, our teams and the local communities we work alongside have been fighting fires across our conservation landscape. Despite their extraordinary efforts, the fires are continuing to spread.
As of August 21, 2026, all four Village Forests in one of the landscapes (Sungai Paduan) that GPOCP supports are still burning. Teams are struggling with a severe shortage of water. There are no nearby rivers or canals with any water, and community members are attempting to dig down to find water.
We are facing the very real possibility of losing a significant part of the Sungai Paduan protected forest landscape. A fire breaks out inside one of the Village Forests we support in Sungai Paduan. Community firefighting teams continue to work under extremely dangerous conditions to hold the fire line and prevent further spread.That prospect is particularly alarming because of what has happened around these forests in recent years. Large areas of surrounding orangutan habitat have already been cleared, pushing displaced orangutans into the remaining Village Forests. Our monitoring has shown that orangutan numbers in Sungai Paduan have more than doubled in just three years.
These forests have effectively become a refuge for orangutans that have already lost their habitat once. If we lose this refuge too, many of them have nowhere else to go.
A photo taken by drone shows the urgency of the situation as fires spread through our Village Forests, leaving destruction in their wake, and creating a toxic haze that threatens the health of wildlife and humans alike.
Fire has also broken out in the villages that surround Gunung Palung National Park. Tanjung Gunung Village, the gateway for walking to our research station, is burning. Villagers, GPOCP staff and National Park rangers are fighting to keep this access trail open. But the fire front is literally either side of the trail. It is creating dangerous conditions for researchers and staff travelling through the area and, more worryingly, is moving increasingly close to homes on the edge of the village.
The fires are also creating a growing threat to human health. Thick smoke is now blanketing parts of the region, reducing visibility and exposing thousands of people to the toxic smoke produced by burning peat.
Our teams are fighting this on every front: attempting water bombing in Sungai Paduan, building water reservoirs and drilled wells, blocking canals to slow the fire's spread, and working to secure more firefighting equipment.
Orangutan SSP funds are helping us put more firefighters into the field, purchase hoses and protective equipment, establish desperately needed water sources, and help our teams hold the fire line before more forest is lost.
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The Orangutan Species Survival Plan®
Formed in the 1980's, the Orangutan SSP is a group of dedicated professionals with five primary goals:
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Welfare of individuals, social groups and populations
Together with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Orangutan SSP serves the accredited zoos that house orangutans in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Working closely with respected professionals in the field, the SSP provides help and guidance to zoos housing orangutans. Together, zoos and the SSP seek to provide the best possible environment for these amazing apes. 
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AZA members are committed to #orangutan conservation. Between 2019 and 2021, over $1.4 million was spent on orangutan #conservation focused on habitat restoration, rescue and rehabilitation, and education and outreach. #WeAreAZA #AZASAFE #SavingSpecies
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Orangutans in Zoos
Orangutans live in 50+ accredited zoos all across the United States, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Find out where they are and more about their exhibits here. 
Photo by Max Block
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Resources
This website serves as a central forum for important information for members of the SSP. Click here to enter the Member’s section and find out the latest happenings for and about the Orangutan Species Survival Plan. 
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