Orangutans are endemic to Indonesia and can only be found on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan. In East Kalimantan, one of the orangutan habitat distribution areas is in the Wehea-Kelay Landscape. Under the umbrella of the Wehea-Kelay Landscape Collaboration Forum, parties have been working together to protect orangutan habitat for almost a decade.
The Wehea-Kelay Landscape is potentially rich in biodiversity, which still requires much research to reveal its potential. Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) initiated scientific research on the orangutan diet with Mulawarman University (Unmul). One of the interesting findings from the study, which has been ongoing since 2023, comes from the Macaranga conifera tree species. The tree, Sange-sange and Sepu, is 8-15 meters tall and up to 40 cm in diameter. It was found that the leaves of this tree have potential anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and antioxidant properties that can also be used in skincare products.
So, what is bioprospection? Bioprospection is the exploration, extraction, and screening of biological natural resources for commercial utilization of genetic, species, and or biochemical resources and their derivatives (Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 2 of 2018). The researchers identified 227 species of orangutan food. They then narrowed it down to 11 types of food by looking for bioactivity and nutritional content.
The research team then made a prototype skincare product that is efficacious for anti-aging, anti-acne, and facial brightening under the trade name WEMACA (Wehea-Kelay Macaranga). The WEMACA product is still in the process of verification and registration, so it is not yet massively produced.
The results of this research are one of YKAN's contributions to the science of the world community and have been published in the IOPScience journal: Antimicrobial, antioxidant and phytochemical activities of three orangutan plant foods in Wehea-Kelay Landscape, East Kalimantan - IOPscience.
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Antimicrobial, antioxidant and phytochemical activities of three orangutan plant foods in Wehea-Kelay Landscape, East Kalimantan
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