Drinks Cash bar as from 6.30 pm; Lecture 7.30 pm

RGS HK members HK$100 Non members HK$150

Opportunity to purchase organic palm sugar and Orangutan Calendars in aid of the Masarang HK charity

The Crown Princess of Yogyakarta The Princess Gusti Kanjen Ratu Pembayun and Dr. Willie Smits to lecture on "Saving Indonesia's Forests and Primates ".

In this lecture, the Crown Princess, head of the Yogyakarta Nature Conservation Foundation, tells of the ongoing drive to save Indonesia's forests and primates, in particular in Borneo. The Foundation runs a large animal rescue and environmental education centre near Yogyakarta. The Princess's work has a particular emphasis on educating youth about the environment, especially though the DeforestAction, a charity which is connecting 10 million children with efforts to save Borneo's forests and primates.

Dr. Smits, who lectured previously at the Society is a forester and microbiologist, who has been working in the Indonesian jungles for over 30 years, especially on reforestation. In this lecture Dr. Smits talks about the primates of Borneo, including orangutans, and the challenges they are facing to survive in a shrinking and fragmented forest environment. Dr. Smits also speaks about the issues of saving the forests themselves, to conserve entire ecosystems.

The Foundation runs a large animal rescue and environmental education center
near Yogyakarta. The center is planning the construction of the 
orangudome, the world's most advanced facility for study of orangutan behavior for 
those orangutans that cannot be returned to the wild. The center will feature 
many innovative designs that provide visitors a non intrusive view of the
orangutan live in the giant open dome where orangutans are provided with
choices to decide where to go with what other orangutans and to interact
through games that enrich their lives with people around the world.
The orangudome is part of the DeforestAction project to connect 10 million
children with on the ground work for saving Borneo's forests and the
orangutans using 21st century learning skills and techniques. Dr. Smits also addresses sustainability issues in relation to the indigenous Dayak people who inhabit most of Borneo, who are also dependent on the forests.  He speaks of the issues of forest ecology and forest restoration.  This includes not just how to make forests into sustainable sun energy capture devices, but also how approaches, involving mixed sugar palm forests and agroforestry, might be a solution to dealing with climate change.