Orangutan from Non-conserved Forests Can Only Survive Three Years

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Orangutan from Non-conserved Forests Can Only Survive Three Years

Monday, 08 September, 2008 | 16:08 WIB

 

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:During the next three years, more than 8,000

orangutans face the treat of extinction as palm oil industries are

refusing moratorium or spaces when opening up land.

 

Environmental activist group Greenpeace considers this as one effective

way to protect orangutans that live outside protected forests.

 

Novi Hardianto, manager of the habitat program at the Center for

Orangutan

Protection (COP) said on Thursday last week (4/9) that two big palm oil

companies, IOI Group and Agro Group, have cut down forests that were

known

to be the habitat of orangutan.

 

This was despite the fact that these forests were included in the

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

 

Novi said that this proves RSPO cannot protect the orangutan population.

 

“The population has been reduced by 3,000 per year. If we cannot improve

this, we will not see orangutan anymore in the three years’ time,” she

said.

 

Edi Suhardi, the public relations manager at Agro Group, denied this.

 

“It is not true that we have cut the forest there,” he said.

 

“We just started our preliminary study to identify areas with high

conservation,” said Edi.

 

Meanwhile, RSPO spokesperson Desi Kusmadewi said that RSPO would check

out

the area mentioned by Greenpeace.

 

“If it is true, we will give chance for the company to repair what they

have done first before being removed from RSPO,” said Desi.

 

Tonny R. Soehartono, Director for conservation and biological

varieties at

the Forestry Department, said the reduction of the orangutan and perhaps

other species was normal.

 

Government has decided the areas for fauna and the areas for

cultivation.

 

“We cannot make all forests only for wild animals,” said Tonny.

 

He went on to say that the number of orangutan in Indonesia is still

60,000.

 

“This is more than the number of Sumatran tigers,” said Tonny.

 

 

 

 

HARDI BAKTIANTORO

and orangutan

 

Rungan Sari Compound

Jalan Tjilik Riwut km 36 Sei Gohong

Palangkaraya 73225 INDONESIA

T /F : +62818333911

E: orangutanborneo

www.cop.or.id

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

> Orangutan from Non-conserved Forests Can Only Survive Three Years

> Monday, 08 September, 2008 | 16:08 WIB

>

> TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:During the next three years, more than

> 8,000

> orangutans face the treat of extinction as palm oil industries are

> refusing moratorium or spaces when opening up land.

>

> Environmental activist group Greenpeace considers this as one

> effective

> way to protect orangutans that live outside protected forests.

>

> Novi Hardianto, manager of the habitat program at the Center for

> Orangutan

> Protection (COP) said on Thursday last week (4/9) that two big palm

> oil

> companies, IOI Group and Agro Group, have cut down forests that were

> known

> to be the habitat of orangutan.

>

> This was despite the fact that these forests were included in the

> Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

>

> Novi said that this proves RSPO cannot protect the orangutan

> population.

>

> “The population has been reduced by 3,000 per year. If we cannot

> improve

> this, we will not see orangutan anymore in the three years’ time,” she

> said.

>

> Edi Suhardi, the public relations manager at Agro Group, denied this.

>

> “It is not true that we have cut the forest there,” he said.

>

> “We just started our preliminary study to identify areas with high

> conservation,” said Edi.

>

> Meanwhile, RSPO spokesperson Desi Kusmadewi said that RSPO would

> check out

> the area mentioned by Greenpeace.

>

> “If it is true, we will give chance for the company to repair what

> they

> have done first before being removed from RSPO,” said Desi.

>

> Tonny R. Soehartono, Director for conservation and biological

> varieties at

> the Forestry Department, said the reduction of the orangutan and

> perhaps

> other species was normal.

>

> Government has decided the areas for fauna and the areas for

> cultivation.

>

> “We cannot make all forests only for wild animals,” said Tonny.

>

> He went on to say that the number of orangutan in Indonesia is still

> 60,000.

>

> “This is more than the number of Sumatran tigers,” said Tonny.