Read about the joyful release of Joy, Molly and Bembi into the heart of the tropical jungle. A touching story when three young Orang Utans go back to where they belong! This is what we do with the Masarang Foundation and Orangutan Rescue. Showing that the natural forest can provide more and truly sustainable than
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Huge oil fire Many of you may in the meantime have read from my Twitter or from news media that last Saturday the city of Balikpapan was watching a huge oil fire with an enormous black cloud rising above it. The fire happened right in front of the Pertamina oil refineries in the middle of
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An evening with Animal rescue organizations On October 20th, I was invited to present a lecture on oil palms and an update on our conservation work for Masarang, especially Tasikoki that is supported by Luxembourg Orangutan Help, and Orangutan Rescue where they are loyal supporters of the Sintang Orangutan Center that is supported by the
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This salt water crocodile right in front of our harbor in the Bay of Balikpapan, estimated to be 6 meters long, a few days ago killed the 3rd person within the last 11 months. The picture was taken on October 17th and two weeks later he struck again. In the past, we had an average
|A good week it was. For a full seven days, I could spend time with the boards of Masarang International, Masarang Hong Kong and Masarang Indonesia, while at the same time also showing a party interested in carbon credits around. During this week, we also held final interviews with candidates for the Masarang Indonesia CEO
Masarang key player in new center of excellence A group of lecturers of the Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java, visited the Masarang sugar factory. Prof. Julius Pontoh (second from right) and myself received the group. The university team had heard about the work of our Masarang Foundation with sugar palms and they are in
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A successful vision Today, November 1st, 2017, I received the village head of Kedang Ipil in the “Rimba Room”, our camp restaurant, the very place where I started my first experience in the jungle of Borneo almost 40 years ago. Kedang Ipil is a village with thousands of sugar palms just north of the boundary
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The Pulisan reforestation project Pulisan is the name of a small watershed in the southern part of Tomohon, located on the top of a steep mountain ridge. The name is an expression in the Tombulu language that means something like: “place where water disappears”. And that is exactly what happens here! There is no visible
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Kenangan I like my wooden house in the forest camp called Kenangan. Kenangan means memory and for sure I have many memories of this place since this is where I started my work in tropical rainforests as a student, now more than 37 years ago. Now I am a director of the forest company that
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Arriving at night at our harbour in Balikpapan after an uneventful journey from the Arsari office to the Jakarta airport I step into the company speedboat here in East Kalimantan. Loyal Udin, our boat operator, has been waiting to take me through the night to our camp some 20 kilometres up into the Balikpapan Bay.
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The palm sugar starch industry is not making efficient use of sugar palm trees, and creates a waste problem as well. Read Willies blog to discover about the alternative solutions. a-visit-to-ciamis In front of the operation of Haji Yaya together with a local business man, Haji Yaya, Prof. Wahidin, his wife and daughter & my
Read about the touching story of Benni, who's biggest wish has been fulfilled!
El Nino also have broad implications for the people in Northern Sulawesi. Water is getting scarce, and Masarang (the mountain and our foundation) are very important now for the people.
The situation is worsening, there is no other way to describe it, and there is no end in sight yet for the suffering of people and animals.
Kalimantan burns and that has broad implications for the local population!
For operations in Kalimantan a new small new truck is available.
A blog from Willie on a number of events on North Sulawesi in the month of October 2014.
An ordinary day in the life of an Masarang employee!
This blog describes how Mamat along with four other companions will be released in the forest of Tembak. A very touching blog!
Back to Tembak. In this blog Willie describes his observations on the effects of climate change that penetrate into the heart of Borneo.
Willie writes about an impressive trip he makes through some primary forest in West Kalimantan, Borneo. He possibly even discovered some new species.
Willie continues his earlier blog from 24 January and tells about the events with the Dayak in West-Kalimantan.
Willie reports about his work with the Dayak in West-Kalimantan in order to give them a better future and safe their forests. The sugar palm plays an important role!
End of the year, time to look back and to see what lies ahead in 2012.
August 2011, Willie writes about his visit to Sintang, Borneo, an area where he is active for years now, to protect the forest and its animals. In September he receives the 16 eco-warriors here, for the project 'Deforestaction'.
Sunday morning early July, a rare quiet moment in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, when more than 90% of the people here in the mountains go to church. I have been having high fevers and bad head aches for the last four days
Just arrived in the Netherlands, directly from the event of celebrating our first decade as Masarang Foundation, which took place in our Tasikoki animal rescue center in North Sulawesi
Waking up after 7 hours of sleep. The palm wine helped to overcome the heat and the squeky bed and the very thin mattress. Nevertheless I have just like pastor Maessen a room for myself.
Ninety-eight percent Air humidity, even the local Dayaks are sweating. The sun has just gone under and the thermometer shows a sweltering 33 degrees Celsius. There is absolutely no breeze whatsoever. We are in Deo Soli, meaning only god.
Sitting in a shaking plane flying over Borneo where tomorrow we will start our next rescue mission. We, Richard, Leo and me, got the last row in the plane where the seats are smallest and cannot lean back.