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Bathin Sembilan children from Harapan’s mobile school became TV stars this week. They had parts in the first of two episodes of children’s series, Si Bolang, being shot in the forest. Si Bolang roughly means “Adventure Boy”. It is shown right across this nation of more than 230...

On a recent trip deep into the forest, we came across Pak Batyam and his family. They are jelutung tappers in Harapan Rainforest. They have been doing it for generations. As a sustainable activity based on non-timber forest resources, it is entirely in line with Harapan’s conservation and restoration...

Fifty-five pupils attend the mobile schools we run at Harapan. The schools are registered with the local education authorities. The pupils get a certificate when they leave, proving which grade they finished. It will help them get into further education, or a job. Not all of the pupils can attend all...

Harapan’s patrol wardens, all local community members, are one of our greatest assets. In the field all day, every day, they have the most contact with the forest’s wildlife. Discovering what they encounter is vital for learning how wildlife uses the forest. The wardens were recently trained...

Seedlings are very important at Harapan. The man for that job is Usman. He is a member of the Bathin Sembilan indigenous community. They have lived in Harapan for generations. Pak Usman manages the Durian Dangkal community nursery. It can produce over 160,000 seedlings a year. With a team of five to...

Harapan’s indigenous community is the Bathin Sembilan. They rely heavily on the forest to support their lives. It gives them materials needed to live day-to-day. They collect bengkuang leaves to weave sleeping mats, and rattan to fashion baskets. They collect damar tree resin and jelutung latex...

Thirty five pupils from Harapan Rainforest’s mobile school had a fantastic day out in the provincial capital recently - despite a 5am start and two and a half hours bogged down in the mud. Upon arriving in Jambi city – another three hours drive – they first visted a school to get a...

It was a very proud day for me recently as I presented the indigenous Bathin Sembilan children who attend our mobile school with uniforms. The school has been running for nearly a year and was set up to give the indigenous children in and around Harapan Rainforest the opportunity to get an education;...

The normally quiet Harapan Rainforest recently became a hive of activity when over 400 school children arrived in camp to assist in a day of tree planting. They came from eight different schools in the local area and also included the indigenous children who are taught through our mobile schools. The...

A film crew recently visited Harapan Rainforest to make a film. I was lucky to join them to learn about making the exciting conservation films we see on television or the internet. We spent the first few days with the Bathin Sembilan indigenous community; filming their daily lives and seeing how important...

We are currently holding discussions with one of the indigenous community groups living within Harapan Rainforest, at a place called Simpang Macan (Tiger Junction). This group of 27 families is based at Simpang Macan, but moves into the forest in search of fruit, rattan, fish and game from time-to...

We were recently visited by a local indigenous community member with the exciting news that a hornbill nest had been found. This is part of a scheme that pays local community members for providing information on hornbill nests so we can then monitor their breeding behaviour. Thanks to Pak Ajer we...

More than sixty members of our nearest Pramuka troupe recently visited Harapan Rainforest. Pramuka is the Indonesian scouting movement. They got to experience rainforest close up on the forest trail – where there are regular sightings of hornbills (including two of the nestboxes erected for them...

Working with local communities and collaborating with local partners is key to Harapan Rainforest’s success. A film just released by a project partner, Jambi NGO KKI-WARSI, shows some of the activities that have been going on in villages around Harapan Rainforest over the past 3 years or so. ...

A recent trip down the Kapas River through the centre of Harapan Rainforest gave me fantastic views of the wild bee colonies hanging below the branches of the tall trees towering above the forest canopy. One tree may have dozens of combs. Being so high up, the combs are protected from most of the predators...

Harapan Rainforest staff and local community members celebrated Indonesian Independence Day together on August 17th. After raising the national flag, singing the national anthem and reading of the declaration of independence, the fun began. Bathin Sembilan children enjoyed a number of games, including...

We're delighted to increase our healthcare capacity at Harapan Rainforest with the appointment of Poppy as our nurse and healthcare worker. With nearly a two-hour round trip to the nearest basic government clinic, and three hours to the nearest hospital, it is important that we are able to at least...