The species of orang utan Indonesia (Pongo Pygmaeus/Abelii ) might disappear in the next one or two decades if the Indonesian government failed to give serious attention toward the threat against its habitat, a non-governmental organization executive said on Thursday.
"Besides forest fire and illegal logging, the land clearance at the orangutan`s habitat for palm oil plantation is also a serious threat for the habitat`s existence," executive director of the foundation saving for the Borneo`s Orangutan, Aldrianto Priadjati said.
He added the opening of the new palm oil plantation so far has to be done by clear cutting toward the trees in the land to be the site for the plantation.
"Strong effort from all parties, mainly the legal apparatus and the provincial administration is needed to save the species from the extinction because they have the authority to ban the land clearance for palm oil that threats the habitat of the orangutan," he added.
He said Asia would be in a great loss if orangutans no longer exists in Indonesia as the species is the only great apes in the continent and there are still many that might be learned from it.
The other big apes, such as gorilla, simpanse (pan troglodytes ) and bonobo (pan paniscus ) are only found in the African Continent, he said.
Some 58,000 out of the 65,000 orangutan left in Indonesia are the Kalimantan`s orangutan (pongo pygmaeus ) while the other 7,000 are Sumatra`s orangutan (pongo abelii )
Monday, August 13, 2007
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In a press release dated 18 January 2004 Dr. Willie Smits, Chairman of Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) - Indonesia, declared passionately,
ReplyDelete"From the number of orangutans confiscated and smuggled in 2003, I estimate that 6000 were lost from the wild last year. What does this mean? Without immediate action, the orangutans are doomed."
(http://www.orangutan.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=7)