Bornean Orangutan Conservation

 

Borneo is the world's third largest island.  It lies within the Sundaland Hotspot a region of high biological diversity that has lost upwards of 75% of its original tropical forest cover. The two most prominent species on the Borneo are the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), both of which are classified as Endangered and have lost significant habitat to logging and the subsequent conversion of natural forest to oil palm plantations. The only hope for these large charismatic animals is that remaining forests be included within the national protected area systems of Indonesia and Malaysia - the two principal countries into which Borneo is divided.  Such areas must be removed from logging concessions, become centers for scientific research and nature tourism, and be staffed by trained residents so that the economic benefits of conservation accrue directly to local communities.

In the state of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, the Houston Zoo has partnered with the French non-governmental organization Hutan, the Sabah Wildlife Department, and several other zoological parks here in the United States - all of which support conservation programs in and around the 27,000-hectare Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.  This protected area was officially established in 2006, thanks in large part to the presence of Hutan's Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project (KOCP). This project is run entirely by trained staff from the nearby village of Sukau and has been the source of significant data regarding the ecology and behavior of wild orangutans in secondary forest habitats. Selective logging has taken place in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain at least twice in the last few decades and primate specialists initially believed that the remaining forests were no longer suitable for orangutans. Data gathered by the field research team indicate that orangutans can not only survive in previously logged forests, but this habitat can sustain significant populations. 

The Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Program includes significant priorities and goals for this region:

• Enhanced knowledge of orangutan ecology and conservation status including the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Ulu Segama/Malua Forest Reserve, Timimbang Forest Reserve and Eastern Sabah landscapes
• Assessment and monitoring of orangutan population health and genetic status
• Orangutan ecological adaptation to degraded and fragmented habitat
• Development of policies for population management within and outside protected areas
• Reduced level of conflicts between human activity and orangutans including improved land use and reforestation
• Community engagement and education in the conservation of orangutans and habitat
• Environmental education programs for Malaysian school children

For more information on the music in the video, you may go to the website of the artist Amir Yussof at www.aquarius.com.my

If you would like to help support the Houston Zoo's conservation programs in Borneo or other regions, please click the donate button below or contact conservation@houstonzoo.org.