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Orangutan
Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	Hominidae
Genus:	Pongo
Species:	Pongo
Binomial name
Pongo Lacépède, 1799
Species
Pongo pygmaeus Pongo abelii Pongo tapanuliensis Pongo hooijeri†

Endangerment of Orangutans

There are three species of the Orangutan: the Bornean Orangutan, the Sumatran Orangutan, and the Tapanuli Orangutan. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the conservation status of all three species is critically endangered.   The population of the Orangutan has been steeply declining due to the gradual loss of their habitat, poaching and illegal pet trading.

The population of Bornean Orangutans has decreased by more than 60% in 60 years, and the population of the Sumatran Orangutan has decreased by 80% in the last 75 years.  It is estimated that between 1999 and 2015, the population of Bornean Orangutans has decreased by over 100,000. The primary reason for habitat loss is unsustainable practice of timber extraction for the production of palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia, however Orangutans are often killed by poaching, where often mothers are killed and infants are seized and sold on the black market as pets. There are a number of conservation sites and not-for-profit organisations that have been created in an effort to prevent further decline of the orangutan population, however it is predicted by experts that unless drastic changes are made to the current deforestation laws, orangutans face extinction within the next ten years.

Reasons for Endangerment

Deforestation

The primary reason for the endangerment of orangutans is the large amounts of deforestation occurring in Sumatra and Borneo. Timber is extracted from these areas for the production of palm oil, paper, and pulp. Majority of this logging is illegal, and with the rapid expansion of the palm oil industry, extraction rates have exponentially increased over the past 40 years.

Logging first began occurring in the 1970s for the production of furniture and commercial products. During this time, Indonesian president Suharto introduced a transmigration program, where 18,000 poo transmigrants were sent to Kalimantan, Borneo, who turned to illegal logging to earn money.  Additionally, President Suharto gave out large amounts of forests in order solidify political relationships. With the introduction of palm oil production soon after, the rate of deforestation grew significantly. Producers soon realised that by logging one hectare of the oil palm plant, over 5,000kg of oil could be created, making the plant highly profitable to those who grew and extracted it. By 1985, the annual rate of deforestation in Kalimantan, where majority of the orangutan population habituates, was 180,000 hectares.

This rate of deforestation then further increased between the late 1980s and 2000, with the amount of land being logged annually increasing by 44% between 1997 and 2000 alone. In the 2000s, the rate decreased slightly, however by 2007, the annual deforestation rate had reached 1.3 million hectares. (4) In 2006, Indonesia overtook Malaysia as the world’s largest palm oil exporter, having exported over 20.9 million tonnes of palm oil. Presently, only 50% of the original forest cover remains in Borneo. It is expected that by 2020, this forest cover will reduce to 24% if production rates continue. As orangutans cannot survive outside forest areas, the extremely high rate of deforestation has caused the population to decrease significantly, resulting in the conservation status of critically endangered.

Poaching

Another factor for the severe decline in orangutan population is illegal poaching. Sumatran, Tapanuli and Bornean orangutans are killed at a high rate for the trade of meat or because farmers believe they are a threat to their crops. Often, farmers will kill orangutans out of fear or in an act of self defence. A national geographic survey revealed that “between 750 and 1,790 Bornean orangutans are killed each year in Kalimantan”

Over the past few decades, the rate of orangutan poaching has increased due to the discovery of more efficient weapons and methods of killing, such as the use of poisons, AK-47s and explosives. Poaching is predominately conducted by plantation workers or villagers who consume and sell orangutan meat, many of which believe contains medicinal benefits.

Illegal pet trading

Behind the illegal drug trade, the trade of wildlife is the 2nd most profitable illegal trade in the world, with a combined annual value of 10 billion dollars. Orangutans are one of the most expensive animals in this trade. Often, the poaching of orangutans is linked with the illegal pet trading, where it is highly common for poachers to kill adult females, and take the infant to sell on the black market. According to a survey, hunters are paid approximately USD$80 to $200 for an infant orangutan. They are then often sent to Jakarta to be sold to wealthy Indonesians or Chinese who keep them as pets. Additionally, some infants are sent by ship to Thailand, where they are sold on the black market for up to $55,000. The illegal trade of orangutans as pets contributes to the severe decline of population, as often mothers are killed for the sole reason of selling the infant. Additionally, the orphans regularly do not survive the conditions they are kept in as pets, especially during transportation to other countries. It is estimated that for every infant sold, between 1 and 6 adult orangutans are killed.

History of Endangerment

Prior to decline

Before the introduction of deforestation, poaching and pet trading, over 300,000 orangutans habituated in Borneo and Sumatra. Forests in Borneo during this time spanned over 37 million hectares, covering about 50% of the entire island.

Decline of population

Due to an expanding global demand for timber in the 1980s, this rate then increased; according to a satellite study, 56% or 2.9 million hectares of tropical rainforests in Kalimantan, Borneo were extracted between 1985 and 2001, with a rapid increase in deforestation rates in the late 1990s. The rate of deforestation during this time directly correlates with the decrease in orangutan population, as the species cannot survive in other areas. It is estimated that since 1950, the orangutan population has declined by 60%. Between 1999 and 2015, the population of Bornean orangutans decreased by 100,000 individuals.

Although the current population of orangutans is not precisely known, it is estimated that currently there are about 104,000 Bornean orangutans, 14,000 Sumatran orangutans, and 800 Tapanuli orangutans remaining in the wild, and 1,000 are being held in conservation sites.

Future predictions

As it is predicted that the loss of forest, poaching and illegal pet trading in Borneo will continue, it is presumed that in the next 35 years the population of orangutans will continue to decline an additional 45,000 individuals. By 2025, it is estimated that there will be 47,000 Bornean orangutans left in the wild.

Conservation

Due to the dramatic decrease of the orangutan population, a number of conservation sites and not-for-profit organisations have been developed in an effort to prevent the extinction of orangutans. There are two main strategies that have been put in place to prevent this; rehabilitation of abandoned individuals or those that were previously being held illegally, and the protection of forest areas and prevention of deforestation in orangutan habitats. Through a Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis, it was discovered that neither strategy was highly effective, however the cost of preventing deforestation cost twelve times less than reintroducing individuals. It was concluded that for long term protection, it is more efficient to prevent logging than attempting to maintain current populations.

Scientists have researched and estimated that the only way of reducing the high rate of population decline is by ceasing deforestation in orangutan habitats, and putting extensive protection methods of current populations in place. However, due to the high demand of the palm oil product and lack of funding from the government, it is extremely unlikely the rapid decline and eventual extinction of orangutans can be prevented.