Gaveau D.L.A., Wich S., Epting J., Juhn D., Kanninen M, and Leader-Williams N. : The future of forests and orangutans (Pongo abelii) in Sumatra: predicting impacts of oil palm plantations, road construction, and mechanisms for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation. Environ. Res. Lett. 4 (2009) 034013 (11pp)

Available at http://www.iop.org/EJ/toc/1748-9326/4/3

Abstract

Payments for reduced carbon emissions from deforestation (RED) are now attracting attention as a way to halt tropical deforestation. Northern Sumatra comprises an area of 65 000 km2 that is both the site of Indonesia's first planned RED initiative, and the stronghold of 92% of remaining Sumatran orangutans. Under current plans, this RED initiative will be implemented in a defined geographic area, essentially a newly established, 7500 km2 protected area (PA) comprising mostly upland forest, where guards will be recruited to enforce forest protection. Meanwhile, new roads are currently under construction, while companies are converting lowland forests into oil palm plantations. This case study predicts the effectiveness of RED in reducing deforestation and conserving orangutans for two distinct scenarios: the current plan of implementing RED within the specific boundary of a new upland PA, and an alternative scenario of implementing RED across landscapes outside PAs. Our satellite-based spatially explicit deforestation model predicts that 1313 km2 of forest would be saved from deforestation by 2030, while forest cover present in 2006 would shrink by 22% (7913 km2) across landscapes outside PAs if RED were only to be implemented in the upland PA. Meanwhile, orangutan habitat would reduce by 16% (1137 km2), resulting in the conservative loss of 1384 orangutans, or 25% of the current total population with or without RED intervention. By contrast, an estimated 7824 km2 of forest could be saved from deforestation, with maximum benefit for orangutan conservation, if RED were to be implemented across all remaining forest landscapes outside PAs. Here, RED payments would compensate land users for their opportunity costs in not converting unprotected forests into oil palm, while the construction of new roads to service the marketing of oil palm would be halted. Our predictions suggest that Indonesia's first RED initiative in an upland PA may not significantly reduce deforestation in northern Sumatra and would have little impact on orangutan conservation because a large amount of forest inside the project area is protected de facto by being inaccessible, while lowland forests will remain exposed to the combined expansion of high-revenue plantations and road networks. In contrast, RED would be more effective in terms of its conservation impact if payments were extended to all remaining carbon-rich tropical forests, including lowland peat swamp forests, the preferred habitat for dense populations of orangutans, and if the construction of new roads was halted.

31/09/2009
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Diverse stakeholders call for global action to save key Sumatran habitat for three endangered species and two indigenous cultures

Bangkok - As world leaders gather to negotiate a new global climate deal, one pulp and paper company in Indonesia is proceeding with plans to pulp up to 170,000 hectares of natural forest in Sumatra's Bukit Tigapuluh. The forest landscape is key habitat for critically endangered Sumatran tigers and Sumatran elephants, and the site of the world's only successful Sumatran orangutan reintroduction program.

The dense forest of Bukit Tigapuluh is also a recognised carbon hot spot, storing an estimated 68 million tons of carbon. The wanton destruction of such a high conservation value area demonstrates the urgent need for international action to protect natural forests via a REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) treaty mechanism that prioritizes biodiversity and Indigenous rights over corporate profits.

http://www.newsmaker.com.au/news/1500

30/09/2009
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Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com

Of the world's two species of orangutan, a great ape that shares 96 percent of man's genetic makeup, the Sumatran orangutan is considerably more endangered than its cousin in Borneo. Today there are believed to be fewer than 7,000 Sumatran orangutans in the wild, a consequence of the wildlife trade, hunting, and accelerating destruction of their native forest habitat by loggers, small-scale farmers, and agribusiness.

Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra is one of the last strongholds for the species, serving as a refuge among paper pulp concessions and rubber and oil palm plantations. While orangutans are relatively well protected in areas around tourist centers, they are affected by poorly regulated interactions with tourists, which have increased the risk of disease and resulted in high mortality rates among infants near tourist centers like Bukit Lawang. Further, orangutans that range outside the park or live in remote areas or on its margins face conflicts with developers, including loggers, who may or may not know about the existence of the park, and plantation workers, who may kill any orangutans they encounter in the fields.

http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0924-orangutans.html

24/09/2009
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http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0924-orangutans.html

Of the world's two species of orangutan, a great ape that shares 96 percent of man's genetic makeup, the Sumatran orangutan is considerably more endangered than its cousin in Borneo. Today there are believed to be fewer than 7,000 Sumatran orangutans in the wild, a consequence of the wildlife trade, hunting, and accelerating destruction of their native forest habitat by loggers, small-scale farmers, and agribusiness.

Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra is one of the last strongholds for the species, serving as a refuge among paper pulp concessions and rubber and oil palm plantations. While orangutans are relatively well protected in areas around tourist centers, they are affected by poorly regulated interactions with tourists, which have increased the risk of disease and resulted in high mortality rates among infants near tourist centers like Bukit Lawang. Further, orangutans that range outside the park or live in remote areas or on its margins face conflicts with developers, including loggers, who may or may not know about the existence of the park, and plantation workers, who may kill any orangutans they encounter in the fields.

24/09/2009
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By: Nancy Ariaini

Kapuas Hulu (13/09)- About 300 students from 7 schools in Batang Lupar, Kapuas Hulu District, West Kalimantan, participated in the orangutan campaign organized by WWF-Indonesia West Kalimantan Program Office. Every school sent their students to involve in the 3 day-campaign started from Thursday (10/09) to Saturday (12/09). All seven schools from elementary schools to junior high schools, stayed together to learn more about environmental issues and commemorate the 64th Independence Day of Republic of Indonesia.

The campaign aimed to build awareness of young people on the importance of forest conservation particularly orangutan conservation as an indicator of forest health. It is expected that students will grow in pride for orangutan as endemic species that can only be found in their Borneo (and neighboring island Sumatra) forests.

15/09/2009
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http://www.pnas.org/content/106/31/12646

04/08/2009
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