Orangutan is the only one out of the four taxo of large ape that lives in Asia whilst the other three i.e. gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo lives in the African continent. There are two types of orangutans i.e. the Sumatera orangutan (Pongo abelii) with limited spreadings in the nothern part of Sumatera and the Borneo orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), still founded in several central habitats in Sabah and Sarawak especially in the peat swamp and dipterocarp forests in southwestern low land part of Kapuas and Barito river (Province of West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan), and in the eastern part of Mahakam that flows to the north (Province of East Kalimantan and Sabah). Indonesia has an important position in the world to conserve orangutans because the major population of living orangutans is in the area of the Republic of Indonesia.
It is known that the population of wild orangutans has decreased continuously in the last decades due to the lost of forest, low lands and the pace is increasing. Orangutans are still being hunted, traded and also smuggled out of the country. This contributes to the decrease of wild orangutans. The lost of habitats, being hunted and traded are the main threats of their lives in Indonesia.
The Indonesian government has implemented several efforts to conserve orangutans and its habitat by issuing rules and regulation and develop collaboration programs with other sectors and stakeholders. Together, the government with stakeholders of orangutan national and international experts has drafter the Strategic and Action Plan for Orangutan Conservation 2008-2017 to support the effort of conserving the orangutans. In the future, it is hope that the forest industry sector i.e. HPH, palm and forest plants is hope to take a more role to support effort of conservation of orangutans in their consession area.
Climate change in the future is estimated to be a serious threat to the conservation of orangutans, especially in the food shortage because the mating process of the plants is hampered due to the increase of the climate and rain and this leads to the decrease of fruits that are their source of food. Other threats is the lost of habitat due to forest fire induced by climate change. The forest fire in 1997/1998 inflicted by el Nina has decreased the habitat quality of orang utans and affecting orangutans as victims significantly. The climate change symptom in that year is also affecting the polon pattern and mating of forest trees in Kalimantan that has implication to the lives of several animals.
In relations to that, we appriciate and responds positively the drafting of the “Climate Change Impact on Orangutans Habitat” report as an important reference to develop conservation programs of orangutans especially due to climate change. An example case is the National Park Sebangau, Central Kalimantan assest in the report
Orangutans has to be conserved and maintaned in the longer term because this frugivora (fruit eating, including leaves and cambium) has an important role in guaranteeing the sustainability of the forest. There are 1000 plants identified that its spreading depends on endangered species, like fungus that is also as food for small animals and orangutans.
We hope that the report will support the effort to conserve orangutans and as an effort to reduce carbon dioxide emission through forest conservation. The protection of orangutans can only be reaches by full and optimum support for all of the stakeholders that has the interest in this flagship based on common understanding on the meaning and function of preserving their natural habitat.