Borneo has lost HALF of its orangutans

MORE than half the orangutans on Borneo have been lost in just 16 years, disturbing figures claim. Nearly 150,000 are thought to have vanished, with the Bornean orangutan now listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The alarming research – published in the journal Current Biology – says farming, mining and logging has led to a loss of habitat for the orangutans. However researchers believe that hunters are also a growing threat.

Lead author Maria Voigt, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, said: ‘Worryingly, the largest number of orangutans were lost from areas that remained forested during the study period. This implies a large role of killing.’

The researchers say the figures, which cover 1999 to 2015, show that orangutans are disappearing at an even faster rate than thought.

With more forested areas expected to be lost, researchers fear another 45,000 orangutans could perish over the next 35 years. They say say partnerships with industry are crucial to protect the population.