There are three types of orangutans. The Bornean orangutan, which is the most common, lives in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and in Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia. The Sumatran orangutan and the Tapanuli orangutan both live only in Sumatra, Indonesia. All three species are classified as critically endangered, as stated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Population decline
Over the past 60 years, the number of all three orangutan species has dropped quickly. Scientists estimate there are about 104,000 Bornean orangutans, 14,000 Sumatran orangutans, and 800 Tapanuli orangutans today. The Bornean population has fallen by more than 60% in 60 years, and the Sumatran population has decreased by 80% in the last 75 years. Between 1999 and 2015, the number of Bornean orangutans dropped by more than 100,000.
The main reason for these declines is habitat loss. Forests where orangutans live are being destroyed for palm oil production in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Orangutans depend on forests for shelter, food, and nesting. They build nests in trees to sleep and eat fruits from trees. Additionally, poaching harms orangutans. Often, adult females are killed, and their babies are taken and sold as pets on the black market.
Many conservation areas and nonprofit groups work to protect orangutans. However, experts predicted in 2016 that unless deforestation laws are changed, orangutans could become extinct within the next ten years.
Reasons for endangerment
Deforestation in Sumatra and Borneo is the main reason orangutans are in danger. Trees are cut down in these areas to make palm oil, paper, and pulp. Most of the logging is illegal, and the growth of the palm oil industry has caused the rate of tree cutting to increase a lot over the past 40 years. Deforestation harms orangutans because the forest is their home. As forests disappear, orangutans come into contact with humans more often. This is dangerous because it makes them more likely to be hunted illegally.
Logging started in the 1970s to make furniture and other products. At that time, Indonesian president Suharto created a program that sent 18,000 poor people to Kalimantan, Borneo. These people often turned to illegal logging for money. President Suharto also gave away large areas of forest to strengthen political ties.
When palm oil production began, deforestation increased quickly. People discovered that cutting one hectare of land to grow oil palms could produce over 5,000 kg of oil, making it very profitable. Today, palm oil makes up nearly 60% of the global oils and fats trade and is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world. It is heavily used in India and China for cooking, and its use is growing in Europe for biodiesel due to climate change. In 1974/1975, the world produced less than 3 million tonnes of palm oil, but by 2006/2007, production had risen to 40 million tonnes. This is an 8% annual growth rate. Indonesia and Malaysia produce 87% of the world’s palm oil. In 2007/2008, Indonesia produced 18.3 million tonnes and Malaysia produced 17.4 million tonnes. These countries produce palm oil efficiently because their costs are low, and their climates are ideal for growing the plant.
By 1985, deforestation in Kalimantan, where most orangutans live, reached 180,000 hectares per year. Between the late 1980s and 2000, the rate of deforestation increased by 44% between 1997 and 2000. In the 2000s, the rate dropped slightly but rose again to 1.3 million hectares per year by 2007. In 2006, Indonesia became the world’s largest palm oil exporter, shipping over 20.9 million tonnes. Today, only half of Borneo’s original forests remain. If deforestation continues, only 24% of the forest may be left by 2020. Orangutans cannot survive outside forests, so the high rate of deforestation has caused their numbers to drop sharply, making them critically endangered.
Deforestation also happens because of fires set intentionally by palm oil companies in peat swamp forests. These fires kill orangutans and destroy their habitats. Survivors may starve or flee, leaving them vulnerable to capture by humans, who may kill them for meat, keep them as pets, or sell them illegally.
Illegal hunting is the second biggest cause of orangutan population loss. Hunters target orangutans because they are large and slow. Sumatran, Tapanuli, and Bornean orangutans are killed for many reasons, including for meat or because farmers believe they threaten crops. A survey found that 56% of people who killed orangutans did so to eat them. Other reasons included self-defense or fear. Some hunters are paid to kill, others do it for traditional medicine, to take infants for sale, for sport, or accidentally while hunting other animals. A study reported that between 750 and 1,790 Bornean orangutans are killed each year in Kalimantan, which is more than the number born each year. As deforestation increases, so does the number of orangutans killed by people who grow palm oil. Orangutans may damage crops to find food when forests are gone.
Over the past decades, the number of orangutans killed has risen because hunters now use more effective tools, such as poison, AK-47s, and explosives. Most poachers are plantation workers or villagers who eat or sell orangutan meat, believing it has health benefits.
The illegal trade of wildlife is the second most profitable illegal business in the world, valued at $10 billion annually. Orangutans are among the most expensive animals in this trade. Poaching is often linked to the illegal pet trade, where poachers kill adult females to take their infants for sale. Hunters are paid about $80 to $200 for an infant orangutan. These infants are often sent to Jakarta, Indonesia, or Thailand, where they are sold for up to $55,000.
The trade of orangutans as pets causes population declines because adult females are often killed to sell infants. Many infant orangutans die during transport to other countries. It is estimated that for every infant sold, between 1 and 6 adult orangutans are killed.
History of endangerment
In the 1980s, the growing need for timber caused more rainforests to be cut down. A satellite study found that between 1985 and 2001, 56% of 2.9 million hectares of tropical rainforests in Kalimantan, Borneo, were removed. Deforestation increased quickly in the late 1990s. The loss of forest is closely linked to the decline in orangutan numbers because these animals cannot live in other places. Since 1950, orangutan populations are estimated to have dropped by 60%. From 1999 to 2015, the number of Bornean orangutans fell by 100,000.
Today, it is estimated that about 104,000 Bornean orangutans, 14,000 Sumatran orangutans, and 800 Tapanuli orangutans live in the wild. Approximately 1,000 orangutans are in protected areas.
If deforestation, illegal hunting, and the capture of orangutans for pets continue at the current rate, scientists predict that Bornean orangutan numbers will decrease by an additional 45,000 over the next 35 years. By 2025, it is estimated that only 47,000 Bornean orangutans will remain in the wild.
Conservation
Because the number of orangutans has dropped greatly, many conservation areas and non-profit groups have been created to help stop their extinction. Two main methods are used to protect them: helping orangutans that were abandoned or taken illegally return to the wild, and protecting the forests where they live to stop deforestation. A study using a Geographic Information System (GIS) showed that both methods were not very effective. However, stopping deforestation costs much less than helping orangutans return to the wild. Scientists concluded that preventing logging is a better long-term solution than trying to keep current populations alive.
Other ways to help orangutans include studying and tracking them, protecting land and water, managing their species, teaching people about conservation, creating laws internationally, and controlling how orangutans are traded. Some groups work with palm oil companies and local governments to stop habitat loss. For example, in 2011, Wilmar International (a major palm oil company), the government of Central Kalimantan, and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) signed an agreement. This agreement aimed to protect Bornean orangutans by checking palm oil farming practices, creating safe areas for orangutans, moving abandoned orangutans, and training workers to avoid conflicts with orangutans. World Wildlife (WWL) works with TRAFFIC to stop the illegal trade of orangutans by enforcing rules and helping rescued orangutans return to the wild after rehabilitation.
Scientists say the only way to slow the fast drop in orangutan numbers is to stop deforestation and protect their habitats. However, because palm oil is in high demand and governments do not provide enough money for conservation, it is unlikely that orangutans will be saved from extinction.
The tropical rainforests of Sumatra, which are home to the Sumatran orangutan and Tapanuli orangutan, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.
According to the IUCN Redlist, some conservation efforts have had some success, but more actions are needed to stop orangutans from becoming extinct. These include protecting more land, helping orangutan populations recover, restoring their habitats, protecting natural resources, and creating better laws. The IUCN also says more research is needed on topics like how many orangutans exist, where they live, what threats they face, and how to manage their habitats.