You must help the people to save the Orangutans.
I've been learning about the complexity of the idea of saving the Orangutans. Gunung Leuser National Park is a large section of rain forest in Sumatra that has been preserved with financing of the European Union and prohibition of cutting in the preserve by the Indonesian government. This is a favorable outcome for the future of the rain forest but the people in the region of this park live in extreme poverty with no real means of support, education, and economic development.
The land is extremely rich in natural and mineral resources but these resources are blocked from use. There needs to be a way to transition the people of the region into a more stable sustainable business and lifestyle where their interests are aligned with the preservation of the rain forest and its animals that doesn't result in their living in poverty. If their economic sucess is not a part of the program to save the rain forest the illegal cutting and poaching will continue to occur from desperation.
How can we change this?
The area around Takengon where the people grow coffee is not as poor as the area around the park. Production of Organic Fair Trade coffee does much to help the farmers. Of course this is all relative because the villages where the farmers have their coffee gardens have little to no electricity, sanitation, education...etc. Everyone here is poor compared to what we know in the US.
Re: "Everyone here is poor compared to ...the US." True, but should we be comparing? How do our poor stack up to the poor there? What is needed for "basic survival" in each region is incredibly different.
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