Can humans and wildlife live together in harmony? Indonesian primatologist Arif Setiawan came to grips with this question in Sokokembang village in central Java. Here, farmers make a living by engaging in paddy rice cultivation and selling agroforestry products such as coffee, ginger and cardamom. But it was the coffee trees that caught his attention. Arif discovered that they were growing under the shade of forest canopies inhabited by the native Javan gibbons, one of the world’s most threatened primates.

Numbering between 4,000 and 4,500 in the wild, Javan gibbons face severe habitat loss caused by increasing land use for human development. The primates end up in fragmented pockets of forests which are too small to support them. Worryingly, half of their population live in seven unprotected forests where land can be potentially cleared for other uses in the near future.

With the forests providing a means of livelihood for the villagers as well as food and shelter for the gibbons, Arif knew more could be done to strike a balance.
 

As villagers grow coffee right under the homes of the gibbons, their actions easily impact the animals above. The challenge Arif foresaw was convincing the villagers that they could continue to grow shade coffee and benefit economically without clearing land to increase the coffee yield. This would ensure that forest canopies, which are the natural habitat of Javan gibbons, are preserved.

With this in mind, Arif and a group of friends started the Coffee and Primate Conservation Project (CPCP). It aims to build relationships with the village chiefs and farmer collectives to encourage the cultivation of shade-grown coffee.

Before the project kicked off, farmers in the region weren’t aware of how to harvest and process coffee in an efficient and economically viable manner. The team realised that if the harvesting and processing techniques were improved, the villagers would see a significant improvement in their livelihoods. All of this could be achieved without disturbing existing forests and the habitats of the local wildlife of the Dieng area. Over the course of several years, CPCP went from building trust with the farmers to roping them into broader conservation outreach. So today, the farmers are spokespersons for conserving forest habitats and protecting the Javan gibbon.

Apart from sustainable coffee farming, CPCP is also active in law enforcement and gibbon population monitoring in their project sites. Patrols are carried out to deter illegal poachers, and field research is conducted through remote cameras and sound recordings to assess the result of conservation efforts.
 

Indeed, the work of CPCP has thrived. The villagers now understand the need for them to farm responsibly, and take pride in sharing more about the local wildlife in this part of Java with local students as well as foreign visitors. Some even take part in forest patrols together with rangers and others have set up ‘kedai kopi’ (coffee shops) to sell shade-grown coffee and advocate wildlife protection. Also, by involving villagers in their field-based conservation efforts and ensuring that coffee is sustainably harvested, CPCP has shown them that doing good can provide a reliable source of income.

With continued efforts, the hope is to see Javan gibbon numbers increase and create more awareness for Indonesia’s unique biodiversity.