Conservationist uses BGan

A leading conservationist who has devoted his life to saving the orangutan is keeping in touch with the world from his rescue centre in the Indonesian jungle - thanks to BGAN.

Inmarsat has supplied Willie Smits with a Thrane & Thrane Explorer 700 terminal for when he is based at his remote orangutan rehabilitation centre in North Sulawesi.
The forestry scientist, originally from The Netherlands, has lived in Indonesia for 30 years but frequently carries out speaking tours to spread his message of conservation through helping local communities.

'Great combination'
He said of Inmarsat's mobile satellite broadband service: "In combination with my toughbook computer, this is a great combination for the field.
"To be able to spend time in the forest and still keep up with my many contacts - I can't express how much this means for me."
The Sumatran rehabilitation centre is home to some 200 rescued orangutans at any one time as they are prepared for release back into the wild.

Forest clearance
The animals, which once ranged throughout South-east Asia, have lost much of their natural habitat to the increasing human population and forest clearance for farming and fuel and now only live in the wild on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. IUCN (the World Conservation Union) lists them as critically endangered.
Through his Masarang Foundation, Willie raises money and awareness to restore habitats, by helping local people find options other than the short-term fix of harvesting forests to survive.
In 2007, Masarang opened a palm-sugar factory that uses thermal energy to turn sugar palms (fast-growing trees that thrive in degraded soils) into sugar and ethanol.

Source: Inmarsat, Masarang Foundation