Recent News

16 September 2008
Lead author, Emily Fitzherbert from the Zoological Society of London and University of East Anglia said: "There has been much debate over the role of palm oil production in tropical deforestation and its impacts on biodiversity. We wanted to put the discussion on a firm scientific footing."

Thank you to Year 7 at Vincentia High School!

15 September 2008
On Tuesday 12th August, Year 7 Indonesian classes (7G, 7H & 7M) hoped to make a difference by participating in Vincentia High School’s Inaugural Orangutan Day.

Orangutan Island – On Animal Planet this September

Information

For Australian viewers, Animal Planet is screening Orangutan Island on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. Be sure to watch at 7:30pm (AEST) on Wednesdays and 8:30pm (AEST) on Sundays starting September 10th.

Groups to save orangutans

9 September 2008
Two Healesville organisations are proving their worth in the fight to save Borneo's orangutans.

Pressure mounting to save the orangutan

9 September 2008
Pressures are mounting to save endangered orangutans in Central Kalimantan, where most of the world's only great ape lives under increasingly bleak conditions due to declining forests -- their habitat.

Palm oil firms urged to adopt sustainable practices

9 September 2008
Blamed for pushing orangutans out of their habitat, palm oil companies are being urged to help conserve the endangered species in Kalimantan.

No way to treat an orangutan

6 September 2008
Somebody stuck a crate in my face at the market in Balikpapan. Looking out between the slats were the very, very sad eyes of a baby orangutan.

Forest Chatter BOS Australia Newsletters

News

BOS Australia Newsletters Remember to sign up on the home page to receive your quarterly copy of our newsletter. You can find copies of our previous newsletters here. June 2017 February 2017

BOS Australia makes fundraising easier

Information

Online fundraising -- secure and instant. BOS Australia has teamed with mycause to make the fundraising process simple and fun.

Indonesia challenged by sustainable palm oil demands

31 August 2008
Indonesia is facing challenges meeting growing demand in the international market for certified palm oil products, as none of the country's producers have obtained sustainable palm oil certification.

Shift biofuels subsidies into REDD

28 August 2008
Developed country governments should re-direct biofuel subsidies toward preventing deforestation for a far better climate outcome, a UK think-tank claims. Policy Edge has produced analysis suggesting that doing so would produce far greater savings in greenhouse gas emissions for every dollar spent on climate change mitigation.

Dr Jane Goodall to visit Australia

Information

Renowned primatologist, Dr Jane Goodall PHD, DBE will be visiting Australia in October.

Palm oil firms reject forest moratorium

27 August 2008
Disheartening news from Indonesia as palm oil companies oppose any moratorium on forest and peat land conversions.

Australia pays to reduce Asia’s emissions

21 August 2008
Australia released an initial US$2 million Tuesday out of a US$13.7 million fund for Asia-Pacific nations to help protect forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the government announced Tuesday. The first two beneficiaries will be Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Killing Kwila trade down under

20 August 2008
Conservationists are claiming an early victory in the preservation of Indonesian native forests, not by taking action in the lush forests of Papua and Kalimantan, but by protesting on the streets of Western cities.

Malua Wildlife Habitat Conservation Bank Launches in Sabah, Malaysia

14 August 2008
The Eco Products Fund, LP, a private equity fund jointly managed by New Forests Inc. of Washington, D.C. and Equator Environmental, LLC of New York City, and the Government of Sabah in Malaysia today launched the Malua Wildlife Habitat Conservation Bank (Malua BioBank, www.maluabiobank.com), a first-of-its-kind business model for rainforest conservation.

A vacation with a purpose

7 August 2008
The following article outlines the thinking behind the Samboja Lestari model

Indonesians threaten to poison elephants

7 August 2008
Another victim of the expansion of oil palm plantations into rainforest habitat....Indonesian villagers threatened Tuesday to poison rare wild elephants that are destroying their palmoil plantations in search of food.

Almost half of monkeys, apes under threat

5 August 2008
Almost half the world's monkeys and apes are facing a worsening threat of extinction because of deforestation and hunting for meat, an international report showed.

A successful release

4 August 2008
At BOS, our ultimate goal is the release of healthy orangutans back into the wild - so it’s always gratifying to be able to give our supporters good news about just such an event - the first translocation programme of 2008.

UK568.46pds: the price on the head of an orangutan

News - Orangutan Behaviour

2 August 2008
An initiative to help to stop orang-utans being driven into extinction has put the price of saving the apes at £568.48 a head.

Another example of orangutans self-medicating

29 July 2008
The following article from New Scientist provides another example of orangutans self medicating.

Another baby finds sanctuary at Nyaru Menteng

17 July 2008
Nyaru Menteng welcomed three new arrivals confiscated from the illegal pet trade last month. They have been joined in recent days by baby "Kerrie" following a team effort by a number of organisations.

Illegal trade in Indonesian markets putting wild animals in danger

17 July 2008
Tiger skins and rare caged primates openly sold at markets in the heart of Indonesia's capital are the most brazen and visible aspect of a thriving illegal wildlife trade.

Biofuel use soon to become mandatory in Indonesia

11 July 2008
The government will impose a new regulation in October demanding manufacturing companies use at least 2.5 percent biofuel in their fuel consumption to reduce their dependency on fossil fuel.

Primates are Greensborough zookeeper’s mates

9 July 2008
Watching the orang-utans at Melbourne Zoo, it's easy to see how Fleur Butcher fell in love with the primates

Biofuels and Biodiversity don’t mix, ecologists warn

9 July 2008
Rising demand for palm oil will decimate biodiversity unless producers and politicians can work together to preserve as much remaining natural forest as possible, ecologists have warned.

Research confirms orangutan population decline

4 July 2008
Endangered wild orangutan (Pongo spp.) populations are declining more sharply in Sumatra and Borneo than previously estimated, according to new findings published this month by Great Ape Trust of Iowa scientist Dr. Serge Wich and other orangutan conservation experts in Oryx – The International Journal of Conservation.

Thinkers of the Jungle – Sydney Morning Herald review

A review of Thinkers of the Jungle by Sydney Morning Herald's Nick Galvin

Malaysia bans clearing of forests for oil palm

26 June 2008
Following on from Unilever's call for a moratorium on rainforest destruction in Indonesia, there is more promising news - this time from Malaysia

Three baby orangutans find sanctuary at Nyaru Menteng

22 June 2008
Nyaru Menteng - Borneo Orangutan Survival's rescue and rehabilitation centre in Indonesian Borneo - has recently welcomed the arrival of three young orangutans from West Kalimantan. All three (aged between 2-3 years) were confiscated from private households - victims of the illegal pet trade.

Money might just grow on trees