Bekantan Research Station

Bekantan Research Station; Bekantan Research Station is located on Curiak Island - Anjir Muara - Barito Kuala, South Kalimantan. The idea was established on April 22, 2015 by Ferry F. Hoesain and Amalia Rezeki from the Indonesian Center for Biodiversity Studies and Conservation - Lambung Mangkurat University, who is also the founder of Yayasan Sahabat Bekantan Indonesia (SBI) - Banjarmasin. 

Then on December 22, 2017 began to be realized physically by conducting land acquisition for the construction of its research station facilities. This development is funded by Sahabat Bekantan Indonesia Foundation and non-binding donors. At the beginning of its establishment, the station was intended as a rehabilitation location for bekantan and research centers. since then Curiak Island has been used as a center for bekantan research and wetland ecosystems. While the bekantan rehabilitation place is in Banjarmasin. 

Bekantan Research Station was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Sutarto Hadi, M.Si., M.Sc., ULM Chancellor was accompanied by Professor Professor Roberts Timothy Kilgour, Professor Matthew Warrington and Professor Michael Joseph of New Castle University Australia. For the first time it was marked by Summer Course activities with ULM students and New Castle students - Australia.

 Now, the Bekantan Research Station is a special natural laboratory. Become a special attraction for domestic and foreign researchers, especially bekantan and their wetland ecosystems.

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Mangrove Arboretum

Mangrove arboretum is a mangrove pilot forest which contains various kinds of mangrove species which are useful as a place of education and introduction of mangrove species to students, researchers and the community. The mangrove arboretum of Curiak Island is located in Anjir Muara, Barito Kuala regency.

The forerunner of the mangrove arboretum This is a less productive tidal rice field behind the Bekantan Research Station. Formerly this area was a mangrove forest, bekantantan habitat and other wildlife typical of wetlands

Since the end of 2017, SBI has tried to build it slowly and surely. With its mangrove production, breeding, planting, refining, maintenance and data collection programs, it was finally the beginning of September 2018, the land that was previously abandoned and considered unproductive, became a place for mangrove education and research for students from within and outside the country.

Despite being far from perfect, the arboretum, which has an area of approximately one hectare, contains no fewer than dozens of plants that grow well. This Arboretum is also equipped with track paths for pedestrians to observe mangrove ecosystems and the nameplate of mangrove species from ironwood boards.

The arboretum area is also used as a conservation school by SBI. Throughout the year, every four months, conservation schools are held, not only students from within the country, but also students from various countries. They are taught about conservation, especially wild life in wetland ecosystems.

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Summer Course Planting Mangrove

 Summer Course Program Planting Mangrove

(University Of Newcastle - Australia)

A LOT of 20 students and three professors from the University of Newcastle, Australia, took part in the action of planting mangrove trees on Curiak Island, in the middle of the Barito River, Barito Kuala Regency, South Kalimantan.

The mangrove planted is rambai (Sonneratia caseolaris) which is a source of food for long nose monkey proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus). The mangrove tree planting action was carried out with the University of Lambung Mangkurat (ULM) and Sahabat Bekantan Indonesia Foundation (SBI). 

The presence of students from Australia is part of the New Colombo Plan; Biodiversity Proboscis Monkey and Orang Utan Program in Borneo. They conducted research related to the behavior and habitat of bekantan in South Kalimantan. Chairman of the SBI foundation, Amalia Rezeki, said that this activity was an opportunity for South Kalimantan to further socialize the importance of preserving the native habitat of the endemic Borneo primates. "We together plant the Rambai tree, which is a Bekantan habitat to live and breed," said Amalia, Friday (6/7). Prof. Michael from the University of Newcastle Australia, said it had come to Kalimantan to see the habitat of the original bekantan. "Mangrove forests are the original habitat of Bekantan. We together build native habitats for bekantan," he said. University of Newcastle Australia student Tiara said, the mangrove forests that grow in the area of Curiak Island must be preserved, so that proboscis monkeys can breed well. (Media Indonesia.

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Penyelamatan dan Konservasi Bekantan di Kalimantan Selatan

SAHABAT BEKANTAN INDONESIA ( PENYELAMATAN & KONSERVASI BEKANTAN DI KALIMANTAN SELATAN )

" Ada dua hal yang perlu diwariskan kepada anak cucu kita ; Ilmu pengetahuan dan kelestarian alam. Kita semua harus bergerak menyelamatkan tumbuhan dan satwa liar ". (Joko Widodo - Presiden RI)

Bekantan adalah primata endemik Pulau Kalimantan yang dilindungi berdasarkan Peraturan Pemerintah RI, Nomor 7 tahun 1999, dan masuk dalam daftar merah Lembaga Konservasi Internasional - International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN ) dan Appendix I CITES ( Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ). Disamping itu bekantan merupakan fauna identitas " Maskot " kebanggan Provinsi Kalimantan Selatan. 

Alih fungsi lahan, kebakaran hutan, perburuan serta perdagangan liar telah membuat bekantan diambang kepunahan, bahkan pada sebagian kawasan telah terjadi kepunahan lokal. Setiap satu dekade terjadi penurunan hingga 50% dari jumlah populasinya.

Dalam rangka mendukung dan membantu program pemerintah dibidang pelestarian bekantan, serta pengembangan pariwisata, khususnya ekowisata di Kalimantan Selatan 

Yayasan Sahabat Bekantan Indonesia ( SBI ) sebuah lembaga non profit yang didirikan oleh Amalia Rezeki seorang biologist conservation yang juga dosen Universitas Lambung Mangkurat Banjarmasin - Indonesia, bersama rekan-rekannya yang bermitra dengan Universitas Lambungmangkurat dalam bidang Penelitian, Pendidikan dan Pengabdian Masyarakat serta dibawah binaan Kementerian Negara Lingkungan Hidup Dan Kehutanan melalui Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam ( BKSDA ) Kalimantan Selatan, membangun Pusat Penyelamatan Bekantan, yang bergerak dibidang ;1. Sosialisasi & Edukasi Pelestarian Bekantan, 2. Rescue & Evakuasi Bekantan, 3. Rehabilitasi Bekantan, 4. Perbaikan Habitat Bekantan, dan 5. Program pelepasliaran bekantan ke habitatnya. 6. Laboratorium Riset Bekantan yang pertama di Indonesia, bahkan didunia.

Yang kemudian dalam rangka mendukung program pemerintah dibidang pariwisata serta meningkatkan Perekonomian Masyarakat, PAD serta Devisa Negara, SBI bersama BKSDA Kalsel mengembangkan kegiatan dibidang Ekowisata Konservasi Bekantan di Kalimantan Selatan, dan telah dilaunching oleh Walikota Banjarmasin, yang dihadiri oleh Perwakilan Pemerintah Provinsi Kalsel, Ketua DPRD Kalsel, BKSDA Kalsel, Rektor ULM serta tokoh masyarakat dan undangan lainnya, pada tanggal 27 Maret 2016. Dengan didukung oleh jaringan relawan serta ekspert konservasi dari luar negeri. Akhirnya gaung tentang keberadaan Pulau Bakut sebagai kawasan ekowisata konservasi bekantan mulai mendunia. Untuk itu kemudian SBI membangun kemitraan dengan berbagai pihak, dalam turut mendukung pengembangan kawasan tersebut. Namun demikian harapan SBI, perlu adanya dukungan semua stake holder yang ada terutama Pemerintah Provinsi Kalimantan Selatan, untuk turut bersama-sama dalam mengembangkan kawasan Pulau Bakut sebagai kawasan perlindungan dan pelestarian bekantan maskot kebanggaan provinsi Kalimantan Selatan tersebut, serta pengembangan potensi ekowisatanya yang mulai diminati wisatawan dunia. Saat ini SBI telah membangun jaringan diempat negara, seperti Prancis, Jerman, Kanada dan Australia dalam mempromosikan ekowisata konservasi bekantan sebagai salah satu andalan pariwisata nasional yang telah dicanangkan Presiden RI.

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Kunjungan dan monitoring Kepala BKSDA Kalsel Ke Pusat Rehabilitasi Bekantan

Kunjungan Kepala BKSDA Kalsel dalam rangka monitoring dan silaturahmi dengan jajaran pengurus di basecamp Sahabat Bekantan Indonesia.

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