Mission
Mission: Integrated Conservation (ICON), is ensuring the long-term survival of Wehea Forest, a biodiversity hotspot and home to some last and largest populations of rare and endangered species in East Kalimantan. Protection is accomplished through long-term engagement with the Wehea Dayak and collaboratively implementing a program that integrates research, education, outreach and development. This innovative program aims to reconcile endangered species conservation with local aspirations for social and economic development.
Objectives:
• Protect and manage critical habit necessary to sustain viable wildlife populations in Wehea and surrounding forests
• Reduce human impacts that threaten the survival of Wehea Forest • Delineate critical habitat and assess minimum spatial requirements to protect the biodiversity of Wehea and surrounding forests
• Network with local and global communities to help sustain the Wehea Forest conservation initiative
• Use Wehea Forest as a catalyst to develop economic opportunities for the Wehea Dayak community
Date established: Integrated Conservation (ICON) was established as a 501(c) (3) on July 26, 2009. Since that time, ICON has worked collaboratively with the Wehea Dayak to examine a variety of ecological, social, and economic issues pertaining to forest conservation, conservation-based livelihoods, and local governance. ICON is actively conducting research and building community processes to support the development of a sustainable and resilient conservation initiative in the context of significant economic and social pressures.
Geographical area of project: Wehea Forest, East Kutai District, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Target species: ICON’s work in Wehea Forest is protecting the rarest animals found on Borneo. These include the orangutan (Endangered), Miller’s grizzled langur (Endangered), Bornean clouded leopard (Endangered) and the recently declared new species of Bornean gibbon (Endangered). The Bornean clouded leopard was chosen as ICON’s flagship species because it is a culturally important and revered animal. The use of flagship species can be a potentially powerful tool for rallying local support and developing effective conservation policies. We believe that using the Bornean clouded leopard, a locally important and culturally significant species, will yield greater conservation outcomes in Wehea.
Target habitat: Wehea Forest contains 38,000 ha of lowland dipterocarp, sub-montane and montane forest. The site has varied topography, with elevations varying from 250 m in the east to 1750 m in the west. In addition, Wehea Forest lies within a center of richness for primate species and ten species of nonhuman primates have been previously reported from the site.
Governance: As a tax exempt 501(c)3 organization based in the United States, Integrated Conservation is governed by a board of directors. The board consists of six directors and convenes quarterly meetings. Brent Loken, board president, and Sheryl Gruber, board secretary/treasurer, are the co-founders and managing directors. Chance Briggs, Barbara Parker, Dr. Stephanie Spehar and Dr. Martin Robards, directors, were chosen because of their respective experience in the nonprofit, research, conservation and education sectors.
Finances: Integrated Conservation is a publicly supported charity and is generously funded through individual donors and grants