Survival of the Orangutan

Orangutans are one of the most endangered species on earth. According to Charles Darwin and the Darwinian Theory, apes are our closest relations. In Indonesia orangutans are seen as a source of pride for the country and yet, their habitat is disappearing at a rate faster than anyone could imagine. Many vigilant conservation organisations go to extreme efforts to keep the orangutans alive and protect their environment. Around 90% of the remaining orangutans living in the wild can be found in Kalimantan and Sumatra. Unfortunately, the black market plays a big role in the demise of these creatures with many orangutans being sold for pets. But, the largest threat to orangutans now is land clearance for palm oil production.

Indonesia has begun a 10-year programme to save endangered orangutans from extinction by protecting tropical jungle habitat from logging, mining and palm oil plantations. This was revealed on the sidelines of the Bali climate change conference. The aim is to preserve up to 1 million hectares of forest on the Indonesian half of Borneo. As many as 50,000 orangutans have been lost over the past 35 years due to shrinking habitat. It was estimated that by 2050 orangutans face extinction unless some drastic measures are taken to protect this precious species.

Two thirds of Borneo’s 30 million hectares of primary forest have already been destroyed and environmental groups state that the remainder is disappearing at a rate of 300 football fields per hour.

If there is any way you can donate time or money to the worthwhile cause of helping to save this endangered species then PLEASE do so. I have listed below a few websites for your perusal in regards to Orangutans in Indonesia.

http://www.orangutan.or.id/

http://www.orangutan.com/

http://www.sumatranorangutan.org/site_mawas/UK/LINKS/pag/links_orang.htm

www.wwf.or.id

http://www.orangutans-sos.org/aboutus/staff.php

http://forests.org/links/Regions_and_Countries/Asia/Indonesia/welcome.asp