Orangutan behavioral research
Understanding to be able to protect
The first goal of the behavioral research at Suaq is understand the derived biology of the Sumatran orangutans. This data is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies which are the key to secure their survival. We can only protect orangutans in the long run through knowing exactly how they live and what they need to survive. Since orangutans, aside from humans, have the slowest life history of any mammal species, it takes decades of research to get insight into even basic orangutan biology. The long-term data base compiled at Suaq offers the unique opportunity to provide this exact data.
More than 25 years of data
At Suaq we are building a unique long-term data base. Following individuals from birth into adulthood we found that some females must be in their sixties and still successfully raise infants. With an age of 15-16 years at first reproduction, the Suaq orangutans develop even slower than previously assumed. Infant orangutans at Suaq stay up to 10 years with their mothers which only have a new baby every 7-9 years. We are now collecting the first data on mortality, reproductive senescence and ecological parameters such as the amount of space they need or how they cope with feeding competition.
Shedding light on human evolution
By studying the behavior of the Suaq orangutans we aim to gain insight into human evolution as well as broader evolutionary process, such as cognitive evolution. Orangutans are one of human’s closest relatives and show significant behavioral and ecological variation across populations and species, which makes them an ideal model taxa for these questions. The Suaq orangutans in particular show a remarkable level of behavioral flexibility which is most likely associated with high cognitive abilities. They are thus a very interesting model species for human evolution.
Conservation
One of the core interests of the SUAQ Project is habitat protection. By maintaining our activities at the monitoring station and working closely together with the local communities we help to effectively protect the Suaq forest and its surroundings.
Education Projects
We regularly visit local schools and arrange trips for local high-school students to visit the Suaq Balimbing Monitoring station. Our goal is to sensitize the local community about the importance of orangutan conservation and protecting nature in general. We aim to inspire the next generation to care about and take action to protect their forests, as well as to improve their own living environment.
Working with the local communities
The SUAQ Project is in constant dialogue and has excellent relations to the local villages, which is a crucial part for effective conservation work. The monitoring station offers more than 10 permanent position to locals as field technicians, boat drivers, cooks or guards. Furthermore, we have a system of rotating temporary positions. These jobs are well liked alternatives to illegal logging as a sources of income.
Empowering the local communities
We are currently in the middle of the launching of empowerment projects with the local communities around Suaq. The goal hereby is to help local people to establish alternative sources of income to illegal logging. Sustainable conservation can only work long term if the local community is placed in a position to support themselves or derives some form of benefit from conserving the forest.
Suaq as a platform for Indonesian and foreign researchers
The Suaq monitoring station is a platform for field work of students and researchers from all over the world. It also offers Indonesian students the opportunity to conduct their projects in collaboration and with the support of the Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group at Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. Since 2007, more than 30 Bachelors-, Masters- and PhD projects have been conducted at Suaq by Indonesian students from UNAS, students of the University of Zürich, as well as other European Universities. Many of these projects have resulted in publications in high ranking scientific journals.
