History


2000Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program (GPOCP) was established by orangutan researcher Dr. Cheryl Knott and research project manager Elizabeth Hill in response to the growing threat that illegal human activities posed to orangutans and other endangered wildlife living in and around Gunung Palung National Park.
 GPOCP registered as non-governmental organization in Indonesia under the name Yayasan Palung.
2002First Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Yayasan Palung and local government agencies pledging cooperation on wildlife conservation.
2003Illegal logging increased within Gunung Palung, forcing research activities and tourism to be suspended.
2004Founding of Peramas Environmental Education Arena Program, GPOCP/YP’s first environmental education initiative targeting a specific community of vital importance for National Park conservation efforts.
2005Launch of GPOCP/YP’s environmental education curriculum training for teachers, leading to the first module on environment and conservation in local schools.
2006In a program first, two GPOCP/YP staff are selected – based on their winning essays – for scholarships to attend the annual international primate symposium held in Uganda. GPOCP/YP staff received two of only five scholarships awarded worldwide.
2007Lubuk Baji, GPOCP/YP’s environmental education and ecotourism campsite, rebuilt.
 Yayasan Palung forms consortium with government agencies, NGOs and researchers for rebuilding and managing Cabang Panti research station.
 In late 2007, Cabang Panti Research Station is rebuilt and operational.
2008Kayong Utara Regency established.
 Purchased land for Environmental Education Center in Kayong Utara Regency.
2009Our Conservation Awareness team was merged with our Animal and Habitat Protection team.
 Our Alternative Livelihoods Program work was brought under the direction of our Environmental Education team.
 Environmental Education Center built in Pampang Harapan.
2010Organized the first successful trial and conviction of a wild orangutan dealer in West Kalimantan.
 First formal creation of a customary forest in the region at Riam Berasap Jaya.
 Expanded Environmental Education Center with construction of a new wing.
 Founded a bamboo artisan group, RBL.
 Founded a new volunteer group – Kayong Utara Youth Conservationists.
2011Increased grassroots participation in spatial planning processes.
 At the end of 2011 were in negotiations with the West Kalimantan Conservation Department to strengthen law enforcement efforts through an Orangutan Response Unit.
 Worked with the Ketapang Regency government to create a government-civil society Conservation Joint Secretariat.
2012Increased local government support for non-timber forest product initiatives.
 Continued the work we began in 2010 with the villages of Laman Satong and Riam Berasap Jaya to develop Customary Forest Management Boards and village-level Customary Forest Regulations.
 Conducted a socio-economic livelihoods research survey in villages surrounding Gunung Palung National Park to gain a deeper understanding of natural resource use by these communities.
2013For Environmental Day 2013, GPOCP/YP organized a major competition for conservation awareness writing and tree planting between six schools in the city of Ketapang.
 In 2013, GPOCP/YP joined forces with partnering organization Yayasan International Rescue Indonesia (YIARI) to establish the Human-Orangutan Conflict Response Team.
 Since our pilot 1,070 hectare Customary Forest in the village of Laman Satong is in its final stage of receiving legal protection, our Forest Protection Initiative has started gaining the same status for two larger and critically important forests around the National Park.
2014Created the first MoU between Yayasan Palung and Gunung Palung National Park Bureau.
2015 Celebrated 30th anniversary of the Cabang Panti Research Station in Gunung Palung National Park.
 GPOCP became a member of UN Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP), a global initiative committed to ensuring the long-term survival of great apes and their habitat.
 2016We published an article in the American Journal of Primatology evaluating ten years of preventing and documenting orangutan-related crimes in Gunung Palung National Park.
2018Yayasan Palung facilitates the creation of an MoU between Boston University and Universitas Nasional to carry out research in Gunung Palung National Park.