Why Orangutans Will Go Extinct if We Don't Act Now
One of the world's largest paper companies plans to clear a large
portion of unprotected forest in Indonesia being used as a sanctuary
for critically endangered orangutans, according to environmental groups
working in the area. Singapore-based Asia Pulp & Paper and a local
joint venture partner, Sinar Mas Group, received a license to clear
hundreds of hectares (acres) of trees just outside the Bukit Tigapuluh
National Park on Sumatra island in May.
Last week Matthew at TreeHugger.com reported that $30 million in debt will be forgiven in exchange for increased forest protection in Sumatra. This is the largest debt relief for conservation agreement ever reached. What this means is that Indonesia will put $30 million over the next eight years into a trust fund, which will issue grants for forest conservation and restoration work on the island. That work is sorely needed, considering that in the past 20 years or so about 90 percent of the original forest cover has been removed due to logging or conversion to agriculture. That's simply unconscionable.
The Plight of the Orangutan
In 2004, the orangutan population
on the Indonesian island of Sumatra was revised downwards from 7,501 to
6,600. The revision was necessary after the discovery that a large area
of Aceh, which was thought to contain orangutans, did not contain any
of these great apes. According to researchers, the 2004 estimated
population on the island of Borneo, which is thought to contain around
54,000 orangutans, has probably declined as a result of a 10% loss in
habitat between 2004 to 2008.
Basically the land that orangutans call home is disappearing so fast and as a result so are the orangutans due in large part to the production of palm oil.
What You Can Do to Help Orangutans
Don't But Products with Palm Oil
Palm oil is one of the main reasons for the destruction of the orangutan’s habitat. Help Orangutan Outreach identify products that come from palm oil in the supermarket and other shops. Go to your shop and look at products like ice cream, chocolate, margarine, toothpaste, soap, detergents and cosmetics and see if there is any mention that the product contains palm oil or the Latin Elaeis guineensis.
