Orangutan Field Research Intern

Biodiversity Business; Sumatera Utara; On-site; IDR 1,073,913,000 - 1,978,261,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dormitory accommodation and meals

Airport transfers

Visa assistance

Personal insurance

Academic supervision

Job summary

Biodiversity Business seeks an intern to work in North Sumatra on orangutan conservation within Gunung Leuser National Park. You will track populations, map habitats, and build a practical data backbone for conservation efforts.

Responsibilities include field data collection, GPS mapping, and species recording, with opportunities to engage with local communities and contribute to land-use planning. Prior field experience is helpful but not required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, environmental science, or similar with research/data collection experience.
• Fluent English—strong written and verbal communication.
• Computer proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; working knowledge of GIS software.

Responsibilities

• Data collection: record sightings/nests/migration paths using GPS and standard data sheets.
• Daily field treks, day and night, to monitor and collect data.
• Data analysis to update Excel databases and maps.
• GPS trail mapping to record movement and habitat use.

Skills

English fluency

Computer proficiency

Independent work

Time management

Presentation skills

Patience & adaptability

Education

Bachelor’s degree in biology/ecology/environmental science

Tools

GIS software

Job description

Protect Sumatra's wild orangutans with hands-on fieldwork

Within the rainforests of North Sumatra, wild orangutan populations are under threat.

You will be working on the boundary of the Gunung Leuser National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.

As an intern, you’ll be on the ground doing the work that matters: tracking orangutan populations, mapping critical habitat, and generating real data for one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems.

The research focuses on identifying and monitoring a small population of wild orangutans. Using GPS recording and photography, you’ll expand the database of known individuals by observing and documenting their daily activity patterns, locating nests, and building a clearer picture of how this population moves through and depends on the landscape. The work extends into the night too, with dawn, dusk, and spotlight walks to record sightings of orangutans and other wildlife including slow lorises, civet cats, leopards, bats, and porcupines.

• Data collection — recording sightings, nests, migration paths, and feeding behaviour using GPS, photography, and standardised data sheets
• Daily field treks — day and night treks to monitor and collect data in individuals to expand the database
• Data analysis — recording data and processing collected data sheets to update the existing Excel database
• GPS trail mapping — using and updating mapping software to record movement and habitat use
• Fruiting tree surveys — locating and mapping key food sources for the orangutan population, including trembesi, ficus, and pakam
• Species recording — building a comprehensive list of local plants and animals and identifying their ecosystem services
• Land use mapping — identifying primary land use in the Batu Kapal area and landowners as potential conservation partners
• Community activities — assisting with tree planting, plastic waste upcycling, and local engagement initiatives

Dates & Prices

This internship runs year-round and welcomes interns for a minimum of 4 weeks, with stays extendable up to 6 months subject to visa requirements.

US$1,330

For your first 4 weeks

US$280

Per additional week

Includes

• Dormitory accommodation with private partitioned areas
• Mattress, fresh bedding, pillow, and mosquito net
• Three cooked meals a day (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets accommodated with advance notice)
• Free coffee, tea, and water throughout the day
• Airport transfers from Medan International Airport
• Laundry service and daily cleaning
• Onsite supervision and technical support
• A direct contribution to the Project’s conservation and community work
• Flights
• Personal insurance
• Visa
• Additional snacks or drinks
• Academic supervision

Academic Credits & learning Outcomes

This internship is designed to give you hands-on field experience that translates directly into a career in conservation. Over your time at Batu Kapal, you’ll build a practical and varied skillset across fieldwork, data management, and community engagement.

By the end of your internship you’ll have gained experience in:

• Wildlife monitoring — tracking wild primates through dawn, dusk, and night walks in a live field setting
• Data collection and management — recording sightings, nesting patterns, and migration paths using standardised data sheets, Excel, and image libraries
• GPS and GIS — trail mapping and spatial data recording in active conservation use
• Species identification — recognising local primates, mammals, birds, and rainforest flora
• Conservation strategy — contributing to land use mapping and Wildlife Corridor planning
• Community outreach — science communication through local education sessions and community engagement
• Cross-cultural working — collaborating with local teams and building professional networks with conservationists and international peers

On successful completion, you’ll receive a certificate alongside a reference to support your CV and LinkedIn profile.

Please note: This internship does not include academic supervision or formal data sharing, and is not suitable for university credit programmes. This is a grassroots, community-led initiative run by the local village and the data collected belongs to the community.

Requirements & Qualifications

This internship is best suited to graduates with a background in biology, ecology, conservation, or a related field who are looking to build practical field experience. You don’t need to have worked in the jungle before, but you do need to be prepared for it.

You’ll need:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject (biology, ecology, environmental science, or similar), including research and data collection experience
• English fluency – strong written and verbal communication is essential
• Computer proficiency – comfortable working in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with a working knowledge of GIS software
• The ability to work independently
• Strong organisational skills – able to manage your time and stay on top of data recording in the field
• Confidence presenting – able to put together and deliver clear, professional presentations
• Patience, flexibility, and a positive attitude — field conditions are unpredictable and the work requires patience

Undergraduates are welcome to apply as volunteers to observe and assist the team.

About This Project

Bukit Lawang is a small village in North Sumatra, nestled on the boundary of the Gunung Leuser National Park -. This is one of the last places on Earth where orangutans, tigers, elephants, and rhinos still share the same forest.

The village has earned a reputation for primate spotting while remaining relatively unspoiled, with local guesthouses, small eateries, and the Landak River running through it. Beyond the forest, there’s plenty to explore on your days off: river tubing, caving to find colonies of bats and swallows, or a day trip to the Tangkahan elephant sanctuary. Further afield, we can arrange visits to the volcanic Lake Toba – a stunning natural landmark steeped in the indigenous Batak tribal heritage that defines this part of Sumatra.

A ccommodation is dormitory-style with shared bathroom facilities, a cold-water shower, and a Western-style toilet. A mattress, fresh bedding, a pillow, and a mosquito net are all provided — just bring your own towel and toiletries. Laundry service and daily cleaning are included in your fee.

Three cooked buffet-style meals are provided daily, shared with the whole team. Expect a varied spread of Indonesian dishes – rice, noodles, vegetables, curries, tofu, and eggs, with breakfast options like pancakes, omelettes, and fresh fruit. Free coffee, tea, and water are available throughout the day.

Map

Gallery

Reviews

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Krypton

A Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source.

Content Cookhouse

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since 1966, when designers at Letraset and James Mosley, the librarian at St Bride Printing Library in London, took a 1914 Cicero translation and scrambled it to make dummy text for Letraset’s Body Type sheets.

Krypton

A Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source.

Content Cookhouse

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since 1966, when designers at Letraset and James Mosley, the librarian at St Bride Printing Library in London, took a 1914 Cicero translation and scrambled it to make dummy text for Letraset’s Body Type sheets.

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FAQ

Do I need prior field experience?

No, but you do need to be prepared for it. You’ll need a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject such as biology, ecology, or environmental science, along with research and data collection skills. What matters most is a positive attitude, physical fitness for daily jungle trekking, and a willingness to work in unpredictable conditions.

Can I use this internship for academic credit?

Can dietary requirements be accommodated?