World-renowned conservationist Panut Hadisiswoyo will speak in Mullumbimby on Sunday August 18 from 5pm till 8pm.
Organisers say the founding director of the Orangutan Information Centre will share his work with OIC communications officer Nayla Azmi in a special interactive event at the Byron Community College, located at 8 Burringbar Street, Mullumbimby.
The visit to the region is being supported by the Mullum-based Rainforest 4 Foundation, whose founder, Kelvin Davies has had a long association with the Orangutan Information Centre.
Mr Davies said, ‘I met Panut in 2008 and I began building a connection between the people of North Sumatra and the Byron Shire. This has helped to produce some fantastic outcomes including the planting of 1.7 million trees in Sumatra to restore wildlife habitat.
‘The Orangutan Information Centre, an Indonesian nonprofit organisation, is making a huge difference in northern Sumatra through their conservation and community-development work in and around the Leuser Ecosystem, one of our most biodiverse ecosystems.
Orangutan rescues
‘In the past four years they have rescued and relocated more than 160 orangutans, restored 2,000 hectares of rainforest, taken 37 wildlife- crime cases to the authorities, provided 1,130 training sessions to communities, and provided Orangutan Caring scholarships to more than 120 university students.
‘The Leuser Ecosystem is also known as “The Last Place on Earth”, as it’s the only remaining place where Sumatran orangutans, elephants, tigers, rhinos, and sun bears still share the same habitat.
‘Panut and Nayla will explain how their organisation reclaims and restores rainforest, and will share how they rescue orangutans, tackle wildlife crime, and work with local communities to transform their environment and their economy. Most important of all, they will engage and empower Australians with the knowledge and means to become rainforest defenders in their own right’, he said.
During the evening Panut and Nayla will share stories about the permaculture centres they are ‘seeding’ across northern Sumatra.
Buy tickets
Book your tickets online at Rainforest 4 Foundation or buy tickets at the door.