Our Work
The future of the orangutan is heavily debated as ongoing habitat destruction, illegal wildlife trade and hunting cause declining populations. The vulnerability of the orangutan is best revealed in the palm oil debate. It is true that palm oil is a major threat to orangutans. Unsustainable practices such as deforestation, forest fires and habitat fragmentation put the future of viable orangutan populations at risk.
The palm oil sector is especially relevant because the majority of orangutans live outside protected areas. (In fact, in Borneo alone, over 10,000 orangutans live in areas allocated for industrial oil palm.) Here orangutans live in degraded forest, isolated forest patches in a plantation landscape. But they are still there and can play an important role if we want to connect and protect orangutans in the wild.
Our three Key Strategies
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Encourage policy makers to develop and implement strong policies and to uphold existing laws that contribute to orangutan conservation.
Support in-country initiatives and efforts to help deliver their aims
Develop approriate and responsible partnerships to deliver tangible outcomes on the ground.
Our Activities
Some of the activities we support with your support & donations:
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Protecting existing orangutan habitat, especially that which contains significant populations of orangutans
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Finding, surveying and securing permanent release sites for both wild and rehabilitated orangutan
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Finding, surveying and securing river islands for the penultimate step in the rehabilitation process of orangutans, and as permanent sanctuary for rescued and rehabilitated orangutans not suitable for total release into the wild, such as those with chronic disease or disabilities
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Finding, surveying and securing new forest sites for the use of orangutans undergoing the rehabilitation process.
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Providing infrastructure for above sites, such as security posts, feeding platforms, fencing, etc
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Taking measures to protect these sites indefinitely.
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Forest rangers/anti-logging operations/fire-fighting efforts in orangutan habitat
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Creating wildlife corridors.
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Reforestation and regeneration activities
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Supporting alternative livelihoods and sustainable harvesting of forests (timber and non-timber forest products) in exchange for their protection in cooperation with local communities
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Working with industries that pose a risk to orangutan habitat, such as the palm oil industry, to minimise impact in these areas.
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Education, outreach and empowerment in communities living in orangutan habitat areas to protect these areas
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Lobbying local and national authorities to protect orangutan habitat
Our Projects
Sustainable production and consumption of palm oil
We work closely with other NGOs and experts to drive better standards, traceability and transparency for the palm oil value chain, and to compel producers and corporate buyers to take responsibility for providing ethical, deforestation-free products.
Education and outreach
We work with schools, zoos and other institutions to educate people of all ages about orangutans, rainforests, biodiversity and sustainability.
Conservation Action Network Borneo
Currently we are supporting surveys to identify where orangutans are in an area of East Kalimantan, Indonesia which is increasingly fragmented by mining and oil palm cultivation.
Borneo Nature Foundation
We support the work of Borneo Nature Foundation, working in Central Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. Our support contributes to fire prevention and fire-fighting activities in critical habitat of orangutans such as Sebangau National Park.
