Almost exactly one year after several destructive landslides at its own Orangutan Quarantine and Rehabilitation Centre, the Sumatra Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP), run by the Swiss foundation PanEco and its sister organisation YEL, is once again facing a major challenge. Cyclone Senyar struck the island of Sumatra on November 25, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Since then, it has rained almost continuously, leading to severe flooding, the scale of which has not been seen before. Many rivers burst their banks and flash floods and mudslides destroyed entire towns and villages. More than 800 people have died in Sumatra alone as a result of the flooding. In the province of Aceh, around 45,000 people have been affected by the disaster – on Sumatra 3.3 million, as authorities state. Immense damage to infrastructure has been caused in many places. Roads, telecommunications and power lines have been cut off and many people remain unreachable.

Not before ten days have past, the partner organizations of PanEco had managed to locate their employees, many of whom are stationed in remote areas. In addition to searching for the remaining missing people, the highest priority at present is to provide shelter and emergency food and water supplies and to attempt to evacuate employees from remote camps. Partner communities have also lost their homes, farms, and essential possessions. Their immediate needs include food, medical care, shelter, clean drinking water, and means of communication. A shortage of petrol is also preventing relief efforts.

A ranger from our partner organization FKL is back in his village of Bener Meriah after his rescue, holding his son in his arms.

To contribute to the rescue operations and assist the people in this emergency situation, PanEco Foundation has already provided CHF 20,000 in emergency aid to two of its partner organizations in Aceh province. We want to support our partner organizations and the surrounding villages with further funds in the coming weeks and therefore we have launched an emergency appeal for donations.

These villages are directly linked to PanEco’s ecosystem protection projects, as many rangers and their families live locally and work directly with the population to protect the rainforest and the animals that live there, especially orangutans. In the medium term, major reconstruction work will be necessary to continue the various projects with our partner organizations and ensure the protection of the threatened ecosystems in the affected areas.