We recently spoke to the team at The Great Elephant and Pygmy Elephant Project to find out more about how volunteers have made a difference during their time on this trip. They also gave us an idea of how the project aims to grow over the rest of the year – so read on to find out more!
Volunteers Contributed To Vital Reforestation Efforts
Reforestation is crucial to the survival of the many magnificent animals that live in the rainforest, so when efforts in planting saplings are as great as they were in the past year, it really is something to write home about! Alongside the team based at the project and the education programmes that revolve around it, volunteers helped to plant around 1500 saplings in the past year. Much of these saplings are maintaining, and have inspired the team at the project to aim high for the next year, expecting to double the amount of saplings over the course of the next 12 months.
Local Communities Have Now Been Inspired To Help
Success at the project also relates to the nearby communities, and it has been reported that more local people are coming forward to offer support to The Great Orangutan And Pygmy Elephant Project. There are new 14 homestay houses involved in food preparation for volunteers (versus only 8 in previous years), and there has also been further suppose in reforestation work. Local communities have asked for employment in these areas, and local nurseries have also assisted by providing more saplings.
Higher Numbers Of Wildlife Have Now Been Spotted In The Area!
It is thought that the reforestation efforts mentioned above, alongside habitat reforestation activities, have made an impact on the influx of wildlife spotted recently. Deer, elephants, civets, spotted hornbills, macaques, snakes, tortoises, and even nesting mother orangutans with their babies have been seen as of late – to think that the trees planted by volunteers are creating homes for these animals is nothing short of incredible, and shows that everybody’s efforts are really coming into fruition. We can’t wait for our next update from the project!
To find out how you can get involved with making a difference, head to the project page now.
