With the onset of civil unrest in Aceh at the end of 1999 the future of research at Ketambe was uncertain, to say the least, and as no new research permits could be granted during the conflict research work ceased completely in early 2002. Fortunately, however, SOCP working together with scientists elsewhere and the local management authorities succeeded in resuming data collection in mid-2003 and continuing the very important work there. Our presence also kept illegal loggers out of the area and prevented the station itself being destroyed by either the military or separatists, both of whom where regular visitors to the camp.
Our research at Ketambe focuses on studying the effects of illegal logging in the area during the early days of the conflict on the orangutans and other primates. At the same time we are able to collect extremely useful data on the orangutan population, adding to the decades of information we already have. This gives us exceptionally valuable information on the life histories of many of the individual orangutans that live there. Some of them are now known to be over 50 years old, having been first recognised, as mature adults, and named by Dr Rijksen himself back in 1971!
In 1987 the forests of the Leuser Ecosystem were opened up for commercial logging. The roads and trails constructed for these purposes enabled ready access to other resources such as rattan, damar resin, and wildlife. There was a wave of unsustainable extraction of these commodities leading to the virtual extinction of the most important species of rattan Calamus manna and the localized extinctions of Siamang.
Following the extraction of easily accessed products, the degraded
forest left over from the logging activities (including illegal logging)
were frequently converted to agricultural land – either for commercial
oil palm and rubber estates or for ad hoc clearance for plantations.
