Kehje Sewen

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Summary

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• Northeast Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) are present in Kehje Sewen.
• The orangutan population size is unknown.
• The orangutan population trend is unknown.
• The site has a total size of 864.5 km².
• The main reported threats include logging activities and human wildlife conflict.
• Conservation efforts have primarily focused on community education, natural habitat restoration, mitigation of human–wildlife conflicts, regular patrols, and the rehabilitation and translocation of orangutans.

Site characteristics

The Kehje Sewen Ecosystem Restoration Forest in East Kalimantan, designated as an IUPHHK-RE (Izin Usaha Pemanfaatan Hasil Hutan Kayu – Restorasi Ekosistem) area, serves as a secure and permanent habitat for rehabilitated orangutans to establish new wild populations. Since 2012, the Restoration of Orangutan Habitat Indonesia (RHOI) has released 75 orangutans at forest camp sites within the area. Continuous post-release monitoring is essential to assess how well the orangutans adapt to their new environment (Bani et al. 2018).

Table 1. Basic site information for Kehje Sewen

Species	Pongo pygmaeus morio
Area	864.5 km²
Coordinates	Lat: 1.3950 , Lon: 116.2450
Type of site	Non-protected area (Ecosystem restoration concession)
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest
Type of governance	Private governance

Types of sites Governance types Habitat types

Ape status

Table 2. Ape population estimates reported for Kehje Sewen

Species	Year	Occurrence	Encounter or vistation rate (nests/km; ind/day)	Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI)	Abundance estimate (95% CI)	Survey area	Sampling method	Analytical framework	Source	Comments	A.P.E.S. database ID
Pongo pygmaeus morio

Sampling methods Analytical frameworks

Threats

Table 3. Threats to apes reported for Kehje Sewen

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
5 Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Present (unknown severity)	The Kehje Sewen Ecosystem Restoration Forest is reported to have been disturbed by logging activity (Bani et al. 2018).	Ongoing (2018)
5 Biological resource use	5.1.5 Persecution/human wildlife conflict	Present (unknown severity)	Human wildlife conflict reported, but details are unknown (Sherman et al. 2022).	Ongoing (2022)

Threats

Conservation activities

Table 4. Conservation activities reported for Kehje Sewen

Category	Specific activity	Description	Implementing organization(s)	Year of activity
2 Counter-wildlife crime	2.3 Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	The Ecosystem Restoration and Forest Protection Team, known as RE-PPHK, conducts patrols to secure forest boundaries, monitor illegal activities and access points, and take immediate action to detect and prevent forest fires (Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia, 2025).	Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation	Ongoing (2025)
4 Education & awareness	4.1 Educate local communities about apes and sustainable use	Community outreach and capacity building activities were reported (Sherman et al. 2022, BOSF 2025).	Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation	2010-Ongoing (2025)
5 Protection & restoration	5.6 Habitat restoration	Habitat management activities and restoration program were reported to be present, Additionally, the ecosystem restoration concession include planting food and nesting tree species (Sherman et al. 2022, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation 2024).	PT. Restorasi Habitat Orangutan Indonesia (PT. RHOI), Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation	2010-Ongoing (2024)
6 Species management	6.7 Translocate (capture & release) wild apes from human impacted sites to natural habitat elsewhere	Kehje Sewen is one of three release sites managed by the BOS Foundation, where orangutans are transported and released (BOSF 2025).	Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation	2012-Ongoing (2025)
6 Species management	6.8 Reintroduction of apes (captively-bred or rehabilitated indviduals)	The reintroduction of orangutans in Kehje Sewen started in 2012 (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, 2023).	Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation	2012-Ongoing (2025)
2 Counter-wildlife crime	Other	Mitigation of human wildlife conflict activities were reported, but details are unknown (Sherman et al. 2022).		2010-Ongoing (2022)

Conservation activities

Research activities

Research activities were reported to be present in the Kehje Sewen (Sherman et al. 2022).

References

Sherman, J., Voigt, M., Ancrenaz, M., Wich, S. A., Qomariah, I. N., Lyman, E., Massingham, E., & Meijaard, E. (2022). Orangutan killing and trade in Indonesia: Wildlife crime, enforcement, and deterrence patterns. Biological Conservation, 276, 109744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109744
Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. (2024). The journey of reforestation at Kehje Sewen Forest. https://www.orangutan.or.id/the-journey-of-reforestation-at-kehje-sewen-forest
Orangutan Foundation International. (2025). Community development & education. https://www.orangutan.or.id/community-development-education
https://www.orangutan.or.id/orangutan-reintroduction
Bani, S. N., Perwitasari-Farajallah, D., Atmoko, S. S. U., & Shiite, J. (2018). Adaptation behavior of Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) reintroduction in Kehje Sewen Forest, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Biodiversitas, *19*(3), 989–996.
Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation. (2023, March 12). Remarkable collaborative effort: 12 orangutans flown to freedom in Central and East Kalimantan [Press release]. Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. Retrieved June 24, 2025, from https://www.orangutan.or.id/remarkable-collaborative-effort-12-orangutans-flown-to-freedom-in-central-and-east-kalimantan
Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia. (2025, June 10). Guardians of the Forest [Web page]. Retrieved June 24, 2025, from https://www.orangutans.com.au/guardians-of-the-forest/

Page created by: Aime Mizero Date: 2025-05-30