What are the threats to the Sumatran orangutan?

What are the threats to the Sumatran orangutan?

Unfortunately, there are many threats to the remaining wild populations of orangutans. Deforestation for the benefit of oil palm plantations, mining, infrastructure, illegal logging, forest and peat fires, illegal hunting, and illegal wildlife trade are just a few of the threats against the wild orangutans.

Why Sumatran orangutan are endangered?

Habitat destruction is the biggest reason Sumatran orangutans are endangered. They have a small geographic range, to begin with, and it has been restricted significantly over the past decades. Now they are only found in northern Sumatra. Huge sections of their habitat have been cleared for oil palm plantations.

Are orangutans being protected?

Orangutans are protected by legislation dating from 1931 which prohibits the owning, killing, or capture of the species. However, the illegal trade in orangutans continues to annihilate remaining wild populations, often linked to logging and clear cutting for plantations.

What threat did the orangutans face in 2015?

Orangutans face extinction on Borneo where deforestation is ‘simply unsustainable’ – UN. Burning rainforests on Borneo and Sumatra to make space for palm oil plantations is one of the greatest threats to orangutans.

What would happen if the orangutan become extinct?

If orangutans were to disappear, so would several tree species, especially those with larger seeds. The tropical rainforests where Sumatran orangutans live are also home to other spectacular species including rare Sumatran tigers, Sumatran elephants, and Sumatran rhinoceroses.

Is the Sumatran orangutan still in the wild?

Despite the Sumatran Orangutan seeing a resurgence in the wild population over the last decade, it is still critically endangered and facing multiple threats Logging – Logging is a real threat to the habitat of the species, both illegal and legal logging are causing significant habitat loss throughout their home range.

What are the threats to the Bornean orangutan?

The threats are illegal logging, oil-palm plantations, forest fires, mining and small-scale shifting cultivation. By 2080, if current trends continue, it has been projected that the Bornean orangutan will lose 70-80% of its forest habitat. Oil-palm plantations.

Is the survival of orangutans at a tipping point?

The survival of orangutans is now at a serious tipping point. The local government of Aceh province is pushing through a plan which will open up much of this highly sensitive ecosystem for yet more plantations, logging, mining, energy developments and road construction.

Is it illegal to own an orangutan in Malaysia?

The orangutan is a protected species in Malaysia and Indonesia and it is illegal to own, harm or trade orangutans in these countries. The process of land clearing exposes wild orangutans, who are considered as pests and consequently some are shot.

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