An Indonesian program is paying former poachers to photograph wildlife instead of hunting it.

The KehatiKu project pays villagers in nine villages in West Kalimantan for photos or recordings of animals. It is run by environmental consultancy Borneo Futures.

Payments range from 5,000 rupiah, about 30 cents, for a common bird, to 130,000 rupiah for an endangered orangutan. Top observers earn up to 10 million rupiah a month, about $570.

Octavius, a 50-year-old former poacher, now photographs wildlife daily. The money helps pay for his children’s college, he told AFP.

More than 800 people take part. Their work has produced 378,000 confirmed wildlife observations, including critically endangered species like the Bornean orangutan.

“People have started to realise that where previously they caught one bird, now they just need to take a photo,” said Borneo Futures Indonesia director Nardiyono.

The program began two years ago and is funded through 2028. It also produces data on wildlife distribution and population changes.

Most participants are small-scale farmers. Early signs suggest the scheme is working to protect Borneo’s wildlife.