When a student applies for a conservation grant for their research projects, one of the questions always asked is: How will this project ensure conservation action continues after said project is finished? Or something to that effect. As a lowly student, it is very difficult to imagine yourself in a position to forever change the area where you plan on working, but it is what we all want. We all want to leave our mark.

I am very happy to say that through team effort, the Little Fireface Project has left its mark (on top of the conservation action and contributions to science and animal husbandry). Last week we have begun building a Muslim school in the village which is free of tuition. Any family will be able to send their children there, regardless of their financial status. When school isn’t in session, LFP’s Nature Club will be able to use the room to teach the village children all about nature. Our field station coordinator Sharon has been doing amazing things with the Club and now, ideas seem to have no limit! What I find truly amazing, is that the entire village is chipping in and building the school by hand. This is very humbling and something you’d never see in a western city … then again you wouldn’t see wild lorises there either!

Part of our research looks into the feeding ecology of the Javan slow loris in a very disturbed habitat. Plant diversity is very low yet they seem to thrive here. After we have finished identifying what plant species are used for what purposes, and their abundance, we will be able to specifically choose what plant species are the MOST important to the lorises. We will then buy/collect seeds and grow saplings with the help of the Nature Club children. They will see the entire life cycle of the plant from seeds to mature plant (I loved doing that in grade school biology class, hopefully they will too!). Children will then donate these saplings to farmers to plant between their plots to increase useable habitat for the lorises.

This would never have been possible without the help of the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund and Colombus Zoo. Thanks to them and a solid LFP team effort (and a whole village of lovely people with hidden talents), we are able to leave our mark in loris land. Forever teaching children about nature and cultivating a sense of pride. After all, they are the guardians of some very unique and charismatic wildlife.

Francis Cabana