Extensive deforestation and the conversion of Borneo's forests, particularly for oil palm production, are threatening endangered orangutans with extinction, according to a report titled 'The Future of the Bornean Orangutan.' A collaborator on the publication, the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), had indicated that over 80% of the orangutan's remaining habitat in Borneo could be lost by the year 2080 under the island's current land-use scenario.
28 July 2015: Extensive deforestation and the conversion of Borneo’s forests, particularly for oil palm production, are threatening endangered orangutans with extinction, according to a report titled ‘The Future of the Bornean Orangutan.’ A collaborator on the publication, the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), had indicated that over 80% of the orangutan’s remaining habitat in Borneo could be lost by the year 2080 under the island’s current land-use scenario.
The report, published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Liverpool John Moores University in collaboration with GRASP, reviews the impacts of land cover and climate change on the Bornean orangutan. It also investigates the suitability of land for growing oil palm and provides insights as to where land-use conflicts are likely to occur for this species over the course of the century.
The publication provides eight recommendations, including: identifying and protecting priority orangutan populations and habitats; connecting key orangutan sites through the creation of corridors; and converting to more sustainable methods of agriculture, including for oil palm. The publication also suggests: identifying and assessing all remaining orangutan populations; designating new protected areas or other areas under permanent forest cover that are large enough to contain viable orangutan populations; and effectively enforcing laws regarding the killing of orangutans and implementing public outreach campaigns to raise awareness.
The report was presented at the GRASP Southeast Asia Regional Meeting held 27-28 July on Borneo in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. [Publication: The Future of the Bornean Orangutan: Impacts of Change in Land Cover and Climate] [GRASP Press Release] [UN News]