Inline skating across England
Spende geschützt
www.bladingforborneo.wordpress.com
Inline skating solo across England to raise awareness and money for the Orangutan Project as the Borneon Orangutan faces extinction
Description
On September 15th I will begin inline skating solo across the south coast of England with the goal of fundraising $5000AUD/£3000GBP to help improve the conservation efforts in Borneo, as the Borneon Orangutan is endangered and facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
I have represented Australia at the world championships four times, competing in inline figure skating and now I am looking forward to combining my passions and abilities for a worthy cause. The journey will cover about 310 miles / 563 km from Hastings in East Sussex, UK to Plymouth in Devon, UK and I aim to achieve this in 8 days at a pace of 40mi/64km per day.
I will be updating my blog regularly to track progress and support at http://bladingforborneo.wordpress.com/ or like me on https://www.facebook.com/bladingforborneo?fref=ts
Here you will also find links to read more about the project and how your donations will be valuably spent.
I will also be producing a short film after my journey is completed showing 'on the road' footage from a Go Pro action camera, my video diaries and follow up trip to Borneo this November. The documentation of my visit to the Orangutan Project in Borneo will serve as an insight on how the money will be used and the film shared on YouTube. I would also like to state that this trip is self funded.
Background:
I recently had the opportunity to take part in the Orangutan Project on the island of Borneo, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. I engaged in the rehabilitation efforts at Matang Wildlife centre, observed the released, semi-wild orang-utans of Semenggoh Nature reserve, the seven different habitats of Borneo in the remaining Bako National Park and trekked through the rainforest to meet the descendants of the Borneo head hunters-the Iban tribes-who are now the custodians of the wild orangutans of Batang Ai National Park.
Wild Orangutans used to live in many parts of South East Asia, but the places where they can thrive and find food are quickly vanishing. Borneo and Sumatra are their last remaining homes where still large parts of the old growth rainforest are being destructed. As the precious little forest that is left disappears rapidly, the survival of the species is under serious threat with orang-utan numbers declining by around 50% in the last 60 years.
Orangutans are dying because of the destruction, primarily for palm oil production, illegal logging, forest fires and illegal mining. The main threat is habitat loss however this process of land clearing exposes wild orangutans who are considered pests and consequently can be shot. If infant orangutans survive the death of their mothers they may end up in the illegal pet trade. This could lead to the extinction of one of the world’s four species of great apes – one of our most intelligent and peaceful relatives. Every single orangutan is important for the survival of the species, and it is therefore imperative to protect the wild populations. All orangutans kept illegally in captivity should be released if they can live in the wild. And all orphaned baby orangutans should be rehabilitated and taught to live as wild orangutans so they can carry on the species. Orangutans play a vital role in seed dispersal, especially for large seeds that are not spread by smaller animals. Without the orangutan these larger seeds would either be dispersed over shorter distances, dispersed less often, or not dispersed at all which would affect the natural structure and functioning of the forest ecosystem making the orang-utan vitally important to people and other animals.
I have chosen to support the charity ‘Orangutan Project’ as I have experienced firsthand that those involved are highly dedicated to the cause and care passionately about trying to make the lives of animals better. All of the Western staff are volunteers in the truest sense of the word, receiving no salaries or benefits and asking for nothing in return. One of the goals is to maximize employment of local staff, and not for foreign staff to occupy positions and take salaries that can be given to local people which I personally feel is incredibly valuable also for sustainability. Anybody can help the cause of endangered animals – the truth is most people want some level of recognition or reward for doing so. This team are simply willing to help, and to do whatever is necessary for progression of the projects. They are making sacrifices every day to be on Borneo fulfilling these roles, and they are making a difference A disregard of the materialistic and consumerist Western culture and willingness to simply do a job that desperately needs doing, for no real recognition and no financial remuneration is what they, and I believe it takes to truly make a difference.
If you would like to read more about the charity go to http://projectorangutan.com/
Inline skating solo across England to raise awareness and money for the Orangutan Project as the Borneon Orangutan faces extinction
Description
On September 15th I will begin inline skating solo across the south coast of England with the goal of fundraising $5000AUD/£3000GBP to help improve the conservation efforts in Borneo, as the Borneon Orangutan is endangered and facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
I have represented Australia at the world championships four times, competing in inline figure skating and now I am looking forward to combining my passions and abilities for a worthy cause. The journey will cover about 310 miles / 563 km from Hastings in East Sussex, UK to Plymouth in Devon, UK and I aim to achieve this in 8 days at a pace of 40mi/64km per day.
I will be updating my blog regularly to track progress and support at http://bladingforborneo.wordpress.com/ or like me on https://www.facebook.com/bladingforborneo?fref=ts
Here you will also find links to read more about the project and how your donations will be valuably spent.
I will also be producing a short film after my journey is completed showing 'on the road' footage from a Go Pro action camera, my video diaries and follow up trip to Borneo this November. The documentation of my visit to the Orangutan Project in Borneo will serve as an insight on how the money will be used and the film shared on YouTube. I would also like to state that this trip is self funded.
Background:
I recently had the opportunity to take part in the Orangutan Project on the island of Borneo, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. I engaged in the rehabilitation efforts at Matang Wildlife centre, observed the released, semi-wild orang-utans of Semenggoh Nature reserve, the seven different habitats of Borneo in the remaining Bako National Park and trekked through the rainforest to meet the descendants of the Borneo head hunters-the Iban tribes-who are now the custodians of the wild orangutans of Batang Ai National Park.
Wild Orangutans used to live in many parts of South East Asia, but the places where they can thrive and find food are quickly vanishing. Borneo and Sumatra are their last remaining homes where still large parts of the old growth rainforest are being destructed. As the precious little forest that is left disappears rapidly, the survival of the species is under serious threat with orang-utan numbers declining by around 50% in the last 60 years.
Orangutans are dying because of the destruction, primarily for palm oil production, illegal logging, forest fires and illegal mining. The main threat is habitat loss however this process of land clearing exposes wild orangutans who are considered pests and consequently can be shot. If infant orangutans survive the death of their mothers they may end up in the illegal pet trade. This could lead to the extinction of one of the world’s four species of great apes – one of our most intelligent and peaceful relatives. Every single orangutan is important for the survival of the species, and it is therefore imperative to protect the wild populations. All orangutans kept illegally in captivity should be released if they can live in the wild. And all orphaned baby orangutans should be rehabilitated and taught to live as wild orangutans so they can carry on the species. Orangutans play a vital role in seed dispersal, especially for large seeds that are not spread by smaller animals. Without the orangutan these larger seeds would either be dispersed over shorter distances, dispersed less often, or not dispersed at all which would affect the natural structure and functioning of the forest ecosystem making the orang-utan vitally important to people and other animals.
I have chosen to support the charity ‘Orangutan Project’ as I have experienced firsthand that those involved are highly dedicated to the cause and care passionately about trying to make the lives of animals better. All of the Western staff are volunteers in the truest sense of the word, receiving no salaries or benefits and asking for nothing in return. One of the goals is to maximize employment of local staff, and not for foreign staff to occupy positions and take salaries that can be given to local people which I personally feel is incredibly valuable also for sustainability. Anybody can help the cause of endangered animals – the truth is most people want some level of recognition or reward for doing so. This team are simply willing to help, and to do whatever is necessary for progression of the projects. They are making sacrifices every day to be on Borneo fulfilling these roles, and they are making a difference A disregard of the materialistic and consumerist Western culture and willingness to simply do a job that desperately needs doing, for no real recognition and no financial remuneration is what they, and I believe it takes to truly make a difference.
If you would like to read more about the charity go to http://projectorangutan.com/
Organisator
Aleesha Hanczakowski
Organisator
