«I have been Programme Manager for Indonesia at PanEco since February. After just a short time, I travelled to Indonesia for three weeks with Brigitte Spillmann to get to know PanEco’s individual projects and meet my Indonesian colleagues in person.

During the intensive trip, I was introduced to the teams from our partners, and I also met scientists who I knew from my previous assignments in Indonesia. One of them told me that when we first met in 2010, I had already mentioned to him that one day I would like to help to protect the Leuser ecosystem. At PanEco, I now have exactly that opportunity!

A few stops during the trip

Although we spent most of our time in offices and in meetings, I did manage to visit the quarantine and rehabilitation centre and Orangutan Haven. Both are less than an hour’s drive from Medan. Another stop during my stay was a three-day visit to Suaq Balimbing, one of SOCP’s biodiversity monitoring stations, where I had spent six months collecting orangutan behavioural data for my PhD in 2015. It was truly a highlight to return to this pristine forest and reunite with my old friends!

In Suaq, we engaged with local community members, and discussed their innovative approaches to protecting the area through community forests and how they tackled the challenges of soil erosion caused by forest loss and oil palm plantations. We also talked to the rangers and staff responsible for mitigating human-wildlife conflict.

The trip also took us to the north of Sumatra, where we visited the Fajar Lestari honeybee project during the time of the honey harvest. We gained an in-depth insight into the progress of the project, which is located at the fringes of the Leuser ecosystem. I was very impressed by how much has already been achieved there!

The three weeks in Indonesia provide a solid foundation for my work in Switzerland. I’m looking forward to learning new things at PanEco and to contribute to landscape conservation in Sumatra. And I am very excited to start working with my new colleagues in Switzerland and Indonesia.»
Anna Marzec