Why should we conserve orangutans’ habitat?

A short story from Kutai National Park, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Orangutans play an important role in forest ecosystems, not only as umbrella species but also as flagship species. The area occupied by orangutans in South East Asia during the Pleistocene, stretched from the Great Sunda Islands in the South to the southern part of China, bordering India in the West (von Koenigswald, 1979:14). At present, two sub-species of orangutans can be distinguished in parts of Sumatra and Borneo (Cubbit et al., 1992:36).

The Pet trade and habitat loss are the two main problems for the populations of orangutans in Indonesia. Rijksen stated that the major threat to the orangutan population is the massive habitat loss due to deforestation for timber, plantations and agriculture (1978, 1982 cited in Peters, 1995:8). This population has been decreasing due to orangutans’ habitats being destroyed. Sugardjito noted that orangutans’ habitats are being threatened by logging activities, resettlement programs (transmigration programs) and shifting cultivation; thus the available habitat of this ape is becoming smaller due to the increasing accessibility of these areas to humans (1995:47). Furthermore, ‘only 2% of the original orangutan habitat is protected and some of these areas are now being destroyed’ (Nadler et al., 1995:v)......... more details...click here

Last modified 27 June 1998 ® stepihakim@hotmail.com