The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) calls on timber companies to strengthen their commitment and effort on orang utan conservation in Borneo.
In a joint WWF Malaysia-Indonesia statement released in conjunction with International Orangutan Day, the body urged the lucrative timber industry to adopt all aspects of the Heart of Borneo plan, which was drawn up in 2005.
The transboundary conservation plan involves Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan, Indonesia. “It is high time for companies to adopt the plan as part of their commitment to responsible forestry. Other land users are also urged to contribute to ensure the survival of these great apes, which are only found in Borneo and Sumatera,” said the statement.
WWF Malaysia chief executive Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma said there was a need “to develop an econological connectivity for wildlife movement.”
For instance, he said, having an ecological connectivity via Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, which are both in Sarawak, and Betung Kerihun National Park, in Kalimantan, were pivotal in conservation.
Sharma added that areas where orang utan could survive were also areas where flora and fauna could thrive.
WWF Indonesia chief execurtive Dr Efransjah said 70 per cent of the orang utan population in Betung Kerihun National Park was located in transboundary areas, bordering Sarawak’s Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary.
“This absolutely highlights the importance of collaboration between the two countries in protecting the species,” Efransjah said.
He added that an estimated 70 per cent of the total number of orang utan in Kalimatan were still outside protected areas, making the cooperation of the timber industry even more crucial to the survival of great apes.
“WWF-Indonesia is working with timber concession owners in Kalimantan to help develop and implement orang utan management plans. These timber concessions cover 300,000ha, which is over a third of orang utan priority area in the Arut Belantikan orang utan landscape in Kalimantan,” Efransjah added.
In 2004, it was estimated there were about 54,000 orang utan in Borneo, distributed across lowland tropical rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Head of Indonesia’s Heart of Borneo National Working Group Dr Prabianto Mukti Wibowo said the Government was committed to the Heart of Borneo plan.
“To ensure delivery of the plan’s vision, including tackling deforestation and biodiversity conservation, it is pivotal to restore deforested critical areas and to ensure connectivity of wildlife corridors for biodiversity, while at the same time promote sustainable management of timber production forests and also sustainable palm oil,” Mukti said.
“The participation of private sectors and local communities in the area is a key factor.”
In Borneo, there are three distinct populations or subspecies of orang utan: Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus (northwest Borneo), Pongo pygmaeus morio (northeast and east) and Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii (southwest).
