Our work
FIELD PROGRAMS
OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
QUALITY OF LIFE PROGRAMS
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Field Programs
MALEO
Iconic, yet endangered, the maleo bird, Macrocephalon maleo, is a natural treasure. In partnership with local villagers, AlTo works to protect the maleo at three sites in the Tompotika landscape, using a community-based approach to prevent poaching and protect maleos in their natural state.
LEARN MORE
SEA TURTLES
Working side by side with local villagers, AlTo patrols sea turtle nesting beaches and protects sea turtle nests at two of the Tompotika region’s key turtle nesting areas. Three species of sea turtles nest in this area: Green, Olive Ridley, and Hawksbill.
LEARN MORE
BATS
Bats play an important, yet highly underappreciated role in maintaining the health and sustainability of native forests and agricultural systems. The centerpiece of AlTo’s Bat program is the protection of Tangkuladi Island, the daytime roosting home of tens of thousands of flying foxes.
LEARN MORE
FOREST
In critical wildlife corridors and larger rainforest blocks, AlTo works with local people and governments to prevent deforestation and maintain healthy forests for people and wildlife.
LEARN MORE
outreach activities
CONSERVATION AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
AlTo’s Conservation Awareness Campaign seeks to build a lively and lasting conservation ethic among the citizens of Tompotika and the world, starting with children. It’s all about the sense of wonder. Belonging. Compassion. Curiosity. The sense of responsibility to take care of the natural world of which we are a part — and the joys of doing so.
LEARN MORE
ART FOR CONSERVATION
Art inspires. Art reveals. Art sustains. And Art changes things. In AlTo’s mission to change human minds, hearts, and behavior, the Arts provide a powerful vehicle for highlighting and celebrating those things that we love, and want to encourage, protect, and nurture.
LEARN MORE
LAW ENFORCEMENT OUTREACH
In collaboration with BKSDA, AlTo initiated a special outreach program to law enforcement personnel from all different jurisdictions in an effort to strengthen enforcement of wildlife laws in Tompotika. This program aims to bring officials together to identify and overcome for themselves the barriers to effective wildlife law enforcement in Tompotika.
LEARN MORE
quality of life PROGRAMS
ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS
In Tompotika, most local residents live a very modest lifestyle compared to those in the Global Consumer Class, whose overconsumption drives the bulk of our planet’s ills. For many, what they have to eat and live on is only just barely enough, with nothing to spare. AlTo works with local people to help develop ways to live that are more sustainable for both nature and humans.
LEARN MORE
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
AlTo’s success in conserving the natural heritage of Sulawesi depends entirely on the willingness of local people to work together with us on behalf of nature. AlTo seeks to provide community benefits that are in themselves consistent with conservation goals, and are determined in accordance with the needs and desires identified by locals themselves.
LEARN MORE
ECO-SERVICE PROJECTS
When a local need demands it, AlTo leads a small group of international travelers to visit Tompotika and assist with conservation projects there. Service projects in past years include helping with scientific surveys; painting large wildlife murals on school walls; cleaning beaches of harmful trash, and more. Trips include time working side-by-side with villagers as well as plenty of time exploring Tompotika’s rainforests, coral gardens, and observing wildlife.
LEARN MORE
Research activities
MALEO RESEARCH
AlTo’s has an active research program aimed at learning essential facts about the maleo’s biology and ecology that must be discovered in order to ensure the maleo’s long-term survival in a human-dominated landscape.
LEARN MORE
BIOLOGICAL SURVEYS
AlTo sponsors and participates in scientific surveys to learn more about the wondrous array of life with which we humans share the Tompotika region. Involving local people, AlTo has been part of the discovery of 9-15 new species previously unknown to science.
LEARN MORE
OTHER RESEARCH
As the need arises AlTo conducts research to answer critical questions about the biology and ecology of other species in Tompotika and seeks to better understand the social implications of wildlife conservation and outreach among the people in Tompotika.
LEARN MORE