Abstract
Sand Mining in Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesia Track: Parks and Natural Reserves Author(s): Robert Yappi, Birute Galdikas, Leslie Smith The Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) has used GPS and GIS to document resource use and habitat disturbance in Tanjung Puting National Park (TPNP). Illegal gold mines along the Sekonyer River were largely abandoned, but camps were reopened for sand mining October 2005. Quartz sand mined from the river has recently become a valuable export commodity. Satellite image analysis was used to delineate mining areas, and GPS was used to ground-truth mining activities. OFI field visits documented new mining camps in all 15 former gold mining areas along the river. The main conservation concerns are changes to river hydrology and water quality. As mining camps grow, other resource uses that damage orangutan habitat could follow. GIS is being used to document and monitor mining locations and activities. OFI has communicated this issue to government officials and is cooperating with National Park personnel to curtail mining activities inside the park. Robert Yappi Orangutan Foundation International Jl. Hasanuddin No. 10 Blk DKD Pangkalan Bun , Kalimantan Tengah 74111 ID Phone: (62) 0532-24778 E-mail: ryappi@yahoo.com Birute Galdikas Orangutan Foundation International 4201 Wilshire Blvd Ste 407 Los Angeles , CA 90010 US Phone: 323-938-6046 E-mail: siswoyo@aol.com Leslie Smith Orangutan Foundation International 1004 Cypress Ln Davis , CA 95616 US Phone: 530-757-7842 E-mail: leslie.ofi@gmail.com |
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