Orangutans Conservation Strategies

This paper will emphasize the conservation strategies surrounding Orangutans and the reasons as to why they are so desperately needed. Orangutans are quickly becoming more and more endangered, and are expected to become completely extinct by the year 2025. ( ) In a world where humans have the capability to destroy these lands that once solely belonged to these primates, humans also have the ability to conserve and protect this species. The ways in which humans and international conservatory groups are doing this will be discussed throughout the paper, placing an emphasis on the effectiveness of each and possible alterations that can be made in order to create more of an impact, with hopefully more of a successful outcome.
This paper will illustrate the main two conservation strategies that are currently in place, which as mentioned in Conservation Strategies for Orangutans: Reintroduction vs. Habitat Preventions are that of rehabilitation and reintroduction of excaptive or displaced individual primates as well as the protection of their forest habitat to rule out threats from outsiders including hunting and deforestation. (Wilson, Meijaard, Venter, Ancrenaz & Possingham, 2014) On top of these two main strategies, it is important to note that research has/ is currently being done in order to create more effective
and more cost-efficient ways of conserving this species. In Not by Science Alone: Why
Orangutan Conservationists must think outside the box, the authors assess the effectiveness of these current strategies in order to help guide the future of this conservation effort. The authors also state that by coming up with new ways that are more budget friendly and cost-effective, success rates will (hopefully) increase. (Meijaard, Wich, Ancrenaz & Marshall, 2012) This article takes on more of a socio-cultural perspective as it omits the biological jargon that was so commonly found amongst the academic research pertaining to orangutan conservation, which will help to provide a more holistic view for the final research paper.
On top of the conservation strategies that are currently in place, it is also important to recognize the factors that have contributed to the dire need to conserve and protect. Without providing background knowledge on this topic by bringing light to the reasons as to why this endangerment is occurring, I think the paper would then become strictly about what can be done when the point of crisis is reached, instead of how people can be more aware and help to stop things before they get to the current situation at hand. In the article titled Why Don't We Ask? A Complementary Method for Assessing the Status of Great Apes, the authors mention different ways of acquiring statistical research in regards to orangutans through the use of interviews derived from people who work in the palm-oil fields. (Meijaard et al, 2011) By doing this, they state that it provides researchers the opportunity to understand some of the socio-cultural factors that have a profound influence on the endangerment of Pongo. (Meijaard et al, 2011)
One of the largest factors that plays a role in regards to the endangerment of orangutans is the increased production of palm oil. In the article titled The orangutan–oil palm conflict: economic constraints and opportunities for conservation, the authors discuss the economic factors that influence the conservation of this species, and illustrates the limits associated with the older and current conservation strategies. (Nantha & Tisdell, 2009) This is important because it helps to provide a more holistic and all encompassing approach, which in the end will create a rich illustration of the current situation surrounding orangutans.
To elaborate on the influence of palm oil production, the article titled Of Pongo, palms and perceptions: a multidisciplinary assessment of Bornean orangutans Pongo pygmaeus in an oil palm context looks at how this industry has caused this species to become so endangered. (Ancrenaz et al., 2015) This is also important to note, as the current conservation strategies need to be adapted to take into account the rapidly growing and expanding palm-oil industry.
I plan to approach this paper from a very holistic point of view, as my background is mainly in cultural anthropology and sociology. Because of this, my knowledge of the biology of orangutans and other primates and species is limited, but this topic provides me with the opportunity to explore many of the factors that are causing this endangerment and will help to shed a light on why this is such a crisis, and what humans can do about it.
In regards to opposing perspectives and different points of view in terms of conserving this species of primates, there are not many.
Of course, the conservation of orangutans is going to be of popular opinion. But in the grand scheme of things, there are some people who are making grandiose profits off of the factors that contribute to the endangerment of these animals. Looking at this crisis from an economic point of view, especially in regards to the production of palm oil, some people are making a lot of money! This industry is clearly booming, which could be the main discrepancy in regards to helping to preserve and protect these precious
primates.
I chose this topic because orangutans have always been my favourite primate. I can remember visiting the Toronto Zoo every year as a kid and always spending the majority of my time observing the orangutans. Their fun and spirited nature always caught my attention and brought a smile to my face. When I heard that this species is at the risk of extinction, my heart sank. This topic is extremely important as there are things that the regular person can do to help prevent this from happening, such as choosing products that do not contain palm oil etc. This topic is crucial, which is why I resonate so strongly with it.