Have you ever seen an orangutan? We do not have a lot of them in the wild anymore, hence why it is important to conserve them. One of the ways is through research.

Good research can help the government, especially the Indonesian Ministry of Environment & Forestry (MOEF) to make the right policy.

However in Indonesia, researchers whose studies are different from the MOEF are restricted from getting access to national parks & conservation sites.

The researchers are Erik Meijaard, Julie Sherman, Marc Ancrenaz, Hjalmar Kuhi, Serge Wich. Their studies show that the orangutan population is decreasing, in contrast to the Ministry who said otherwise.

When they asked for a discussion with the Ministry, no responses were given.

We are truly confused! If the Ministry really wants to conserve orangutans together, then why are they blocking these researchers?

Please help sign this petition to show your support. We are asking the Ministry to withdraw the letter, and give access back to the researchers.

The Indonesian Ministry of Environment & Forestry should’ve shown their willingness for dialogue and cooperation, instead of restricting researchers with different sets of data. They should've ensured independence of science, not limiting the access to it.  

Help us sign and share this petition, and let’s ensure the orangutan conservation is a success.