How Forest Textiles Are Helping Save Java’s Last Gibbons
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📰 The quick summary: A women’s collective in West Java is using eco-printed textiles inspired by local forest plants to build community support for the critically endangered Javan gibbon, blending economic empowerment with grassroots conservation.
📈 One key stat: Fewer than 4,500 Javan gibbons remain in the wild, with half of that population living in the national park next to where the Ambu Halimun initiative operates, making local conservation efforts especially critical.
💬 One key quote: “The forest isn’t something that is separate to them,” said primatologist Rahayu Oktaviani, explaining why her organization designed a conservation program rooted in the community’s own relationship with the forest.
1️⃣ The big picture: In a village bordering Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park in West Java, Indonesia, a women’s collective called Ambu Halimun is producing eco-printed textiles featuring motifs from local plant species and the silhouette of the endangered Javan gibbon. Founded in 2020 by primatologist Rahayu Oktaviani’s Kiara Foundation, the initiative aims to connect women to conservation while expanding their economic opportunities. Fewer than 4,500 Javan gibbons survive in the wild, and roughly half of them live in the national park right next to the village. Previously, many residents knew the gibbon was legally protected but had little sense of its ecological role or why protecting its habitat mattered. By weaving forest knowledge into a creative livelihood, the project has helped shift local attitudes toward the species and its environment.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Combining conservation with women’s economic empowerment is proving to be an effective strategy, as participants are now actively replanting forest species and developing a deeper understanding of the gibbon’s role as a seed disperser. Plants once dismissed as weeds have gained new cultural and economic value, giving community members a personal stake in protecting local biodiversity. The initiative shows that conservation does not have to rely on enforcement alone but can succeed by building a genuine sense of ownership and pride within a community. Similar models are gaining traction across Indonesia, suggesting this approach can scale to other regions and other species. Rahayu’s recognition with the Whitley Award in 2025 also brings international attention and credibility to this kind of community-led, culturally grounded conservation work.
3️⃣ What’s next: Rahayu and the Kiara Foundation continue to grow their grassroots conservation work alongside the Ambu Halimun collective in Citalahab. Researchers and conservationists will need to monitor Javan gibbon populations closely, especially given warnings that habitat loss and hunting could push the species toward extinction within a century without significant intervention. Expanding similar community-based models to other parts of Java and beyond remains an important opportunity for protecting the species at scale.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – In Java, a women’s collective is helping save gibbons through forest-inspired textiles
