Forest Loss for the Orangutan in Indonesia

The forest in Borneo, Sumatra, is the home of the orangutan. But 80% of their habitat has been lost in the last twenty years, due to illegal logging and forest fires.

Forest Loss for the Orangutan in Indonesia Correspondent: Congo Basin in Equatorial Africa. It’s the world’s largest tropical frontier forest after the Amazon. It contains 3 of the 4 great apes. Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Bonobos. Logging company are taking over the vast concessions of installations. The dwindling forest of Borneo in Sumatra a home to the only great ape species occurring at – the Orangutan and Malay word person from the forest, it is estimated that 80% of their habitat have been lost over the past 20 years. 2 years ago the wold Sumatran orangutan were numbered at 6,000 and fallen by a thousand each year. Illegal logging and unsustainable commercial timber extraction have paid a big role in their rapid decline. ] So to as the Indonesian government’s policy of resettlement massive transmigration schemes to be centralized Java and increase government control of Indonesia’s thousands of islands encouraged settlers to move out and level forest for food production but soil indicated rainforests only supported a few years of crops before it was depleted and useless and settlers have to move on and clear more forests. In addition the fires of 1997 and 1998 destroyed an estimated 40% of Kalamantan’s Orangutan forest habitat deliberately lit the fires were intended to clear forests for Palm oil plantations but they grew out of control because monsoon rains came late. The authorities appeared slow to react many believe it’s because corrupt officials want to cash in on the palm oil bonanza. It wasn’t until there were complaints of smoke hays from countries thousands of kilometers away that measures were taken to extinguish the fires. Infant orangutan is a highly valued in the international illegal pet trade. That can only be captured by killing the mother as she will not relinquish her baby. Each young orangutan can fetch more than $10,000 that is estimated that around 5 died for every 1 that is traded. One of a number of organizations working to protect these species is the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. It has had over 40,000 visitors in its 30 years of operation as well as educating tourists the center provides a safe haven for young orphaned orangutans and a place where primatologists can study their behavior. Unlike other great apes, orangutans can slowly be reintroduced into the wild here over a period of years the Orangutans are gradually separated from human support and eventually learned to fend for themselves. Resigning to the fact that there’ll be no pristine forest left where orangutans could be reintroduced. The center is experimenting their survival in partially clear forests but it may be waging a battle that’s already lost. Local: It’s unbelievable. Correspondent: 10 years ago the United Nations added its weight to saving the world’s Rhinos when the population crashed by 97% now alarmed at the pike of the great apes the United Nations Environment Program has teamed up with UNESCO to declare what is in effect a state of emergency. The two agencies have launched GRASP Great Ape for Survival Project. Klaus Toepfer (Executive Director –UNEP): To underline the urgency we are convinced that it was a right decision to make this in case of emergency and this is exactly the second time that we actually do it. We are not only unit integrated we know that others or as a convention like CITES also our colleagues from UNESCO they are all concentrating their efforts in dispute. This is a basis for Unit to really start power for it to open the eyes of the public to integrate all people who are in the word coming from scientific academic field going wire and non governmental organization and going to the governments in those countries. I believe it s a huge but also a valuable urgent need to act.