Our Story
Three Decades of Conservation in Nantu
YANI was founded in 2002 by a team who had worked together at Nantu since 1993. Our founder was Indonesian Conservationist Dr. Daniel W. Sinaga from the Ministry of Forestry (now Environment and Forestry), Jakarta. In 1993 the Government of Indonesia proposed a field expedition to the Nantu Forest, Gorontalo, in order to assess the area’s biodiversity and suitability for establishment as an Protected Area. The expedition team comprised representatives of key national and local institutions, including Dr. Sinaga, as well as national and international universities. At that time, and indeed until 2013, access to Nantu was by longboat, a journey of half a day upriver over rapids, and the nearest communities were 15 kilometres downstream. The expedition team documented Nantu’s unique biodiversity and we continued to work together over successive years. This culminated in establishment of the Nantu Wildlife Sanctuary, gazetted in 1999 by the government of Indonesia, and the formal establishment of YANI (Yayayan Adudu Nantu International) in 2002.
A Simple Field Station in Nantu
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Yayasan Adudu Nantu International
“Yayasan” is an Indonesian term that refers to a foundation or a non-profit organization. Nantu is the local name of the well known rainforest tree Palaquium amboinense, after which the Sanctuary takes its name. Adudu is the name of the area where the Nantu Forest’s remarkable salt-lick is located and, in the local language expresses a sigh of exhaustion or “we’ve finally got here”, a reference to the challenges of hauling longboats upriver over rocks and rapids for many hours in the hot sun! Our name incorporates the word “International, reflecting both the global importance of Sulawesi’s rainforest biodiversity and our approach in partnering with colleagues worldwide. Since the government of Indonesia’s creation of the Nantu Forest as a protected area YANI has continued its conservation activities there, working in partnership with all appropriate authorities, until the present time, achieving a remarkable three decades of conservation commitment by this team at Nantu.
photo: Blake Dyer