The Complicated Case of the Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean orangutan (Bongo pygmaeus) is one of three species making up the only genus of great apes native to Asia.  Native to the Indonesian province of Kalimantan, this mid-sized primate is an arboreal (tree-dwelling) species who find their habitats in peat swamp forests and tropical forests.  Today there are an estimated 104,000 individuals remaining, earning this species a designation of critically endangered by the IUCN (Ancrenaz et. al, 2016).  The conservation of the Bornean orangutan  is imperative for the preservation of this unique subspecies.

In a new study, Indonesian researchers have compiled and analyzed data to assess the overall effect of current conservation actions on orangutan outcomes (Sherman et. al 2020).  Through highlighting orangutan translocations, releases, and rescues, the researchers expose a shocking cycle of orangutan killing, capture, and release, which has done little to further overall conservation goals.  The importance of this study lies in the authors’ calls for greater protection and conservation of orangutans in their natural habitats over interventions aimed at translocation or rehabilitation.

Researchers conducted a review of both public and unpublished data, surveyed rescue and release practitioners, as well as law enforcement records.  This was the most in-depth review of the orangutan population completed on the SRAK 2007-2017 legislation, which mandated that all suitable captive orangutans be released by 2017.  Unfortunately, the captive orangutan population still outnumbers the This legislation was modified and readopted by the Indonesian government as SRAK 2019-2029, which calls for release of all ex-captives which have been rehabilitated by 2022.

While these legislations are in the best interest of the endangered orangutan population, this research has uncovered significant shortcomings which have decreased the actual effectiveness of the conservation efforts.  During the period of SRAK’17, 994 orangutans were taken into rescue facilities in order to combat poaching and illegal possession as pets.  Despite severe fines and punishment, the illegal trade of this species is widespread across Indonesia, making up 719 of the 1,285 individual rescues on record.  One shortcoming discovered during this period was the weakness in law enforcement that contributes to the continuation of this illegal trade.  Across the 10 year study period, only 4 convictions were made, resulting in a 0.01% rate of conviction for those engaging in illegal trade activities (Sherman et. al 2020).

Another shortfall in the legislation designed to protect orangutans lies within the translocation efforts themselves.  The language of SRAK17 itself, as well as the IUCN guidelines for translocation and release are very vague, leaving room for a lack of action.  Translocations were very poorly monitored, with post-release orangutan populations being nearly impossible to track over the long-term.  What little data does exist suggests that the long-term survival of released or translocated populations is as low as 6-27%.  Data also showed that ex-captive orangutans were more likely to damage crops and human encampments, and to have a higher likelihood of being recaptured or killed as a result of orangutan-human conflict.

All of these challenges have combined to create a network of orangutan conservation which is not as effective as is necessary for the long-term preservation of the species.  The authors of this study have contextualized these concerns, showing clearly through data and analysis that without a systematic review of these conservation strategies, the number of captives will not decline in this new SRAK19 cycle either, due to the ineffectiveness of law enforcement, high breeding rates in captivity, and low survival of translocated populations following release.

References

Sherman J, Ancrenaz M, Meijaard E, Shifting apes: Conservation and welfare outcomes of Bornean orangutan rescue and release in Kalimantan, Indonesia, Journal for Nature Conservation (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125807