{"id":3447,"date":"2025-11-24T16:55:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T16:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodchocolatehub.org\/?p=3447"},"modified":"2026-10-08T15:24:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T15:24:53","slug":"the-menyapa-lesan-initiative-connecting-cacao-production-with-orangutan-conservation-in-borneo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodchocolatehub.org\/en\/all\/the-menyapa-lesan-initiative-connecting-cacao-production-with-orangutan-conservation-in-borneo\/","title":{"rendered":"The Menyapa-Lesan Initiative: Connecting Cacao Production with Orangutan Conservation in Borneo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Menyapa-Lesan Cacao Project (2025-2028) is a pioneering initiative that links sustainable cacao farming with orangutan conservation in East Kalimantan, Borneo. This collaborative effort unites Good Chocolate Hub (Switzerland), BOS Schweiz<\/a> (Borneo Orangutan Survival Switzerland), and CAN Indonesia <\/a>(Conservation Action Network) to protect rainforest biodiversity while strengthening local livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 CAN 2025<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal: Cocoa that strengthens forests and communities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the Menyapa-Lesan project, we combine orangutan conservation with sustainable cocoa farming. Together with Dayak communities, we improve cocoa quality, yields and market access. This creates long-term income opportunities for farmers while reducing the pressure to convert rainforest for palm oil production, coal mining or other sources of short-term income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put simply: when growing high-quality cocoa pays off, protecting the forest becomes worthwhile too. Cocoa thus becomes an economic incentive for forest conservation and a pathway towards a more secure future for the people living in this landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Project area<\/td>Menyapa-Lesan landscape, Berau region, East Kalimantan, Indonesia<\/td><\/tr>
Project duration<\/td>2025\u20132028<\/td><\/tr>
Beneficiaries<\/td>Up to 900 farming households in the participating communities; approximately 185 endangered Bornean orangutans<\/td><\/tr>
Project partners<\/td>Good Chocolate Hub, Borneo Orangutan Survival Switzerland (BOS Switzerland) and Conservation Action Network (CAN)<\/td><\/tr>
Additional partners<\/td>K\u00fcrzi Kakao<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An integrated conservation and cocoa initiative in the Menyapa-Lesan wildlife corridor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Menyapa-Lesan wildlife corridor covers approximately 193,000 hectares as part of a project led by CAN and BOS Switzerland, connecting important rainforest landscapes. These ecological connections allow orangutans and other wildlife to move between forest areas, find food and reproduce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cocoa project complements this corridor-based approach: it creates economic opportunities for Dayak communities in and around the corridor that sustain the forest as a foundation for their livelihoods rather than displacing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The context<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Berau region in eastern Borneo is home to one of the world\u2019s oldest and most biodiverse rainforests – a habitat for orangutans, sun bears and countless other species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet coal mines and palm oil plantations are increasingly encroaching on the forest. Habitat loss is causing dramatic declines in orangutan populations and many other species. For Indigenous Dayak communities, however, these same industries often provide jobs and income – a difficult dilemma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need solutions that achieve both: protecting nature and securing livelihoods. People and nature are inseparably connected. When ecosystems are destroyed, communities feel the consequences too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our approach: Cocoa is a forest tree<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cocoa naturally grows beneath the canopy of larger trees. In agroforestry and similar farming systems, it is therefore cultivated alongside shade trees and other crops – not as a replacement for rainforest, but as part of a diverse, productive landscape. This allows families to earn an income without clearing additional forest, while maintaining habitats and ecological connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Menyapa-Lesan initiative brings together conservation and economic opportunities through a long-term, integrated and innovative approach. Our approach is designed to be resilient, adaptable to local conditions and capable of generating impact beyond the project area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its heart is sustainable cocoa farming as part of a forest-based system. The project brings together organisations with complementary expertise and creates four interconnected benefits<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n