KUCHING: Are palm oil plantations the main threat to the survival of orangutans in the wild?
No, hunting is the biggest threat, says the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC).
Its minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said while it is true that orangutans in Borneo have become an endangered species, it is also equally true that many other animal species have become endangered due to the explosion of the human population.
“Recent evidence revealed that hunting is among the biggest contributors to the Bornean orangutan population decline over the last 200 years.
“In Kalimantan, Bornean orangutans were often shot for their meat or as a result of human-orangutan conflict. In fact, historical data shows that the decline of orangutans was observed as far back as the 19th century, way before the start of significant oil palm development in the 1970s,” she said in a statement.
According to Statista, a German research company, changes in land and sea use in Asia Pacific make up only 43 per cent of the factors threatening wildlife populations, while more than 50 per cent is due to species overexploitation, invasive species and diseases, hunting, pollution and climate change.
“In the research conducted by Statista, all wildlife – not just orangutans – are threatened across the world. They are not limited to other monkey and animal species that inhabit Borneo per se, but spread across North America, Europe, Central Asia, Latin America, Caribbean and Africa,” she said.
Zuraida said asserting that oil palm is the sole reason that threatens wildlife such as orangutans selectively negates the facts causing the population decrease of all endangered animal species.
“As a showcase that humans and nature can co-exist in harmony, Malaysia has allotted 43 sq km of protected land at the edge of the Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve in Sabah as a rehabilitation site for orangutans.
“Today around 60 to 80 orangutans are living independently in the reserve while approximately 25 orphaned orangutans are housed in the nurseries,” she said.
With the exponential growth of the human population on the planet, she said, a world without palm oil can surely lead to a global food crisis given that the golden oil makes up over 60 per cent of the global edible oils market.
“In the quest to find a middle ground between oil palm cultivation and minimising destruction of nature, Malaysia has implemented various initiatives to conserve and protect its wildlife and biodiversity. The country is also totally committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions under the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCC) 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) on climate change.
“At the ministerial level, MPIC has initiated the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) through the Malaysian Palm Oil Council as a sustainability platform funded by the palm oil industry through the collection of cesses to reflect the industry’s commitment towards ensuring palm oil players and smallholders remain sustainable in their practices.
In this regard, she said MPOGCF is joining forces with Sabah Wildlife Department to support wildlife rescue and conservation efforts.
“MPOGCF has also funded two key orangutan conservation initiatives in the Borneo states: Population Survey on the orangutans living in Sabah’s agricultural landscape by the Borneo Conservation Trust together with HUTAN which was completed in 2018, with survey areas that include assessing the status of orang utan conservation as well as the trends in orangutan distribution, densities and conservation threats, among others.
“This also includes the orangutan conservation programme in Sarawak, a collaboration with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation since 2014 which was completed in 2017 with the publication of a full scientific report alongside orang utan conservation efforts in Sarawak’s protected areas; the national parks of Ulu Sebuyau, Sedilu, Gunung Lesung and Maludam,” Zuraida said.
