Deforestation surges in hotspot of critically endangered Bornean orangutans

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

Deforestation within a pulpwood concession that overlaps with key orangutan habitat in Indonesian Borneo has escalated in recent months.

Details:

Concession holder PT Mayawana Persada cleared 14,000 hectares (34,600 acres) of forest between January and August, or 40 times the size of New York’s Central Park, of which 13,000 hectares (32,100 acres) were areas identified as orangutan habitat (Pongo pygmaeus).
In July alone, the company cleared 4,970 hectares (12,300 acres), the highest monthly deforestation figure recorded. The palm oil plantation will lead to further deforestation.
Other species found there are: Bornean white-bearded gibbon (Hylobates albibarbis), the sight of helmeted hornbills (Rhinoplax vigil), and the claw marks of the sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), all threatened species.
Indigenous Dayak community of Kualan Hilir resides in those forests.

Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus):

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is a species of orangutan endemic to the island of Borneo.
Together with the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia.
Like the other great apes, orangutans are highly intelligent, displaying tool use and distinct cultural patterns in the wild.
Orangutans share approximately 97% of their DNA with humans. Also called mias by the local population, the Bornean orangutan is a critically endangered species, with deforestation, palm oil plantations, and hunting posing a serious threat to its continued existence.
The Bornean orangutan population has declined rapidly in the past few decades, with nearly 150,000 individuals lost between 1999 and 2015. By 2016, it was estimated that only 57,350 Bornean orangutans remained in the wild.

Peat forests:

Sungai Paduan protected peat forest. The 6,788-hectare (16,774-acre) area consists mostly of peat swamp rainforest and has been identified as one of the pockets of orangutan populations.
Tropical peat ecosystems play a critical climate role because of the carbon they store: double the CO2 found in all of Earth’s temperate and tropical forests.
Peatlands also play a crucial role in water regulation by acting as a sponge, absorbing and retaining excess water and reducing the risk of downstream flooding.

Source: Mongabay