The Last Stand of the Orangutan. State of emergency: illegal logging, fire and palm oil in Indonesia's National Parks - State of emergency: illegal logging, fire and palm oil in Indonesia's national parks PDF
Preview The Last Stand of the Orangutan. State of emergency: illegal logging, fire and palm oil in Indonesia's National Parks - State of emergency: illegal logging, fire and palm oil in Indonesia's national parks
UNEP ^V^*^ ^ • RAPID RESPONSEASSESSMENT THE STAND^il^ LAST OF THE ORANGUTAN STATE OF EMERGENCY: ILLEGAL LOGGING, FIRE AND PALM OIL IN INDONESIA'S NATIONAL PARKS RequestedlothJanuary2007;Submitted27thJanuary,Launched February 6th 2007. Nellemann, C, Miles. L.. Kaltenborn, B. P., Virtue, M., and Ahlenius, H. (Eds). 2007. The last stand ofthe orangutan - State ofemergency: Illegal logging, fire and palm oil in Indonesia's national parks. United Nations Environment Programme, GRID-Arendal, Norway,www.grida.no ISBN No:978-82-7701-043-4 Disclaimer ThecontentsofthisreportdonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsorpoHcies ofUNEPorcontributoryorganisations.Thedesignationsemployedand thepresentationsdonotimplytheexpressionsofanyopinionwhatsoever onthepartofUNEPorcontributoryorganisationsconcerningthelegal statusofanycountry,territory,cityorareaoritsauthority,orconcerning thedelimitationofitsfrontiersorboundaries. 1.^X0 [ defra^ miiHMnMiniiin /hOUA>e Christian Nellemann (EditorinChief) Lera Miles BJ0rn P. Kaltenborn MelanieVirtue and HugoAhlenius RAPID RESPONSEASSESSMENT THE STAND LAST OF THE ORANGUTAN STATE OF EMERGENCY: ILLEGAL LOGGING, FIRE AND PALM OIL IN INDONESIA'S NATIONAL PARKS t?% r.^i ^ -V^, /rw UNbPpromotes ironmentallysoundpra( loballyandinitsownactivities.Thi reportisprintedon100%recycledpa usingvegetable-basedinksandothereco^ friendlypractices.Ourdistributionpolicyaimsti reduceUNEP'scarbonfootprint. PREFACE Globalization and international trade are generating wealth on Inthepastfiveyears morethan 90%ofover40 parkshave now anunprecedentedscaleandliftingmillionsoutofpoverty. How- been impacted putting at risk national and regional attempts to ever,thegrowthofglobalmarketsisalsoputtingpressureonthe meetthe 2010biodiversitytarget.Thedrivingforces arenotim- Earth's ecosystems or natural assets that in many ways are the poverished farmers, butwhatappears tobeweU-organizedcom- foundationofwealthcreationinthefirstplace. panieswithheavymachineryandstronginternationallinkstothe globalmarkets. Theplanet'stropical forests are someoftheseextraordinaryand economically important assets - ecosystems playing a vital role UNEP applauds the Indonesian government's new initiative fo- in moderatingthe atmosphere, sequestratinggreenhouse gases, cusingonnewandspeciallytrainedrangerunitstowinbackthe delivering watershed management and are home to a rich and nationalparks. Itisstartingtoshowsomepromisingresultswith biologicallyimportantarrayofplantsandanimals. illegal logging halted in two parks in 2006. But the authorities need moreassistance. National parks represent a common heri- This UNEP Rapid Response report, carried out on behalfofthe tage and their protection and enforcement is essential in inter- UN-led Great Ape Survival Project, has used the latest satellite nationalconservation. UNEPthereforehopestoworkevenmore imagery and data from the Government ofIndonesia to assess closely with Indonesia's government in the coming years and changesintheforestsinonepartofsouth-eastAsia. supportthem in thisvitalworkthatmayholdpromiseforother nationstoo. The results indicate that illegal logging, fires and plantations of crops such as palm oil are now intpiding extensivelyinto Indo- Achim Steiner nesia's nationalparkswhich, forexample, arethelastsafe-holds ExecutiveDirector oftheorangutan. UnitedNations EnvironmentProgramme SUMMARY Orangutans are native to Indonesia and Malaysia. Their survival lybyinternational markets andwell-organised timber supply net- is seriously endangered by illegal logging, forest fires including works.ThispattemisalsoseeninothertropicalareasincludingLat- thoseassociatedwiththe rapid spreadofoil palm plantations, il- inAmericaandAfrica.Iftheimmediatecrisisinsecuringthefuture legalhunting and trade. In thelastfewyears, timber companies survivaloftheorangutanandtheprotectionofnationalparksisnot haveincreasinglyenteredthelaststrongholdsoforangutansinIn- resolved,veryfewwildorangutanswiUbeleftvrithintwodecades. donesia:thenationalparks.OfficialIndonesiandatarevealthatil- AscenarioreleasedbyUNEPin2002suggestedthatmostnatural legallogginghasrecendytakenplacein37of41surveyednational rainforestin Indonesiawouldbedegradedby2032. Giventherate parksinIndonesia,somealsoseriouslyaffectedbyminingandoil ofdeforestationindiepastfiveyears,andrecentwidespreadinvest- palmplantationdevelopment. Satelliteimageryfrom 2006 docu- mentinoilpalmplantationsandbiodieselrefineries,thismayhave mentbeyondanydoubtthatprotectedareasimportantfororang- beenoptimistic. Newestimatessuggestthat98%oftheforestmay utans arebeingdeforested. Theuse ofbriberyorarmedforceby bedestroyed by2022, the lowland forestmuch sooner Since ma- loggingcompaniesiscommonlyreported,andparkrangershave tureforestisbeinglostfromlargeareas, tliesupplyoftimberwill insufficientnumbers,arms,equipmentandtrainingtocope. declineftirtherThismeansthattheincentivetologprotectedareas will grow. The rate and extent ofillegal logging in national parks Ifcurrentloggingtrends continue, mostofIndonesia's national may, ifunchallenged, endangerthe entireconceptofprotectedar- parks are likely to be severely damaged within the next decade, easworldwide.Atcurrentratesofintrusionintonationalparks,itis becausetheyareamongstthelastareastoholdvaluabletimberin likelythatmanyprotectedareaswillalreadybeseverelydegradedin commerciallyviableamounts.Thesituationisnowacuteforboth threetofiveyears,thatisby2012. the Bomean orangutan and Sumatran orangutan. These species areclassedasEndangeredandCriticallyEndangeredrespectively Indonesiahasworkedextensivelywithothercountriestoreduceil- bytheWorld Conservation Union (lUCN), and arelistedonAp- legallogging,butthisobjectiverequiresthesubstantialsupportof pendixIoftheConventiononInternationalTradeinEndangered theinternationalcommunity,includingrecipientsofillegallylogged Species ofWUd Fauna and Flora (CITES). The rapid rate ofre- timber.Effortstointroducetimbercertification,andotherworkto moval offood trees, killing oforangutans displaced by logging reducelevelsofillegaltiadearecritical,butmostlikelytohaveim- and plantation development, and fragmentation of remaining pactsoverthelong-term.TherecentIndonesianinitiativeofbetter intact forest constitutes a conservation emergency. More than tiainingandequipmentofparkrangers,includingthedevelopment onethousand orangutans are livingin rescue centres in Borneo ofRangerQuickResponseUnits(SPORC-SatiaanKhusus Pohsi alone,withuncertainchancesofeverreturningtothewild. KehutananReaksiCepat)isthereforetliemostpromisingcounter- measure, but requires substantial stiengthening todealwith the Aseriesofinternationalandnationalinitiativeshavebeendevel- scaleoftheimmediateproblem.Currentiy,35nationalparkshave opedtoaddressillegallogging. However,itisevidentthatAsian, 2155ordinaryfieldrangerstopatrolanareaof108000km^. EuropeanandNorthAmericanmarketsarestillmajorrecipients ofillegallyloggedwoodproducts,whichoftenchangeownership Theserangershavelittleaccesstogroundvehicles,helicopters,aero- and recorded country-oforigin multiple times during tiansport. planes,communication,necessaryarmsorparamilitarylong-range Anestimated73-88%ofalltimberloggedin Indonesiaisillegal. patroltrainingthatwouldenablethemtointerceptandstopillegal Lessthan20%issmuggledoutaslogs,andtheremainingwood intrusionsatthesescales.Thetraining,sufficientarmingandequip- isprocessedinsaw,paperorpulpmillsandlaterexported.These pingofthese rangers and SPORC units tolocate, intercept, arrest mUls have a capacity oftwo to five times greater than the legal andrepelcompaniesfromprotectedareasappeartobeamongthe supplyoftimber. mostpromisingcriticalemergencyresponses. Ifsuchprogrammes arestrengthenedtobecomefirUyoperationalinthemostthreatened Thisassessment,basedonaseriesofindependentstudies,shows parks,theymayserveasglobalrole-modelsforthecontinuedprotec- thatthedisastroussituationin Indonesia'sforestsisdrivenmain- tionofnationalparksforbiodiversityconservation. CONTENTS 5 PREFACE 6 SUMMARY 9 ORANGUTANSON THE EDGE 12 AN IRREPLACEABLE HABITAT 14 ORANGUTAN UPDATE i6 ILLEGALLOGGING l8 ILLEGALEXPLOITATIONOFNATIONALPARKS 23 INTERNATIONALDRIVERSOFILLEGALLOGGING 25 MULTINATIONALNETWORKS 2g OILPALMPLANTATIONS 31 ' FORESTSON FIRE 34 ILLEGALINTERNATIONALTRADE IN LIVE ' ORANGUTANS 35 30% INCREASE IN ORANGUJAN HABITATLOSS UW 37 ENFORCEMENT RESPONSESTO ILLEGAL FORESTRYACTIVITIES . 3» COUNTERING ILLEGAL LOGGING CONCLUSIONSAND RECOMMENDATIONS* 43r 46 CONTRIBUTORS. _47 REFERENCES ^ ' • V^' I < Pongopygmaeus Uppir Kkiabaongan Lokvef KlnabatanganWS Figurei: Bornean orangutan dis- tribution, with priority popula- IKTE tions highlighted. Reproduced from Caldecott &. Miles (2005); OfangutParnesdelnstlrattbuiimlkonno(wInnddtevntsdiutaylp«rkm*) A•p-p^roxiSmuabt-*sopreacniegsutdaMnSjtoanxonomy CTraOocovar(porctnt) updated with GRASP priority ^^mm o11..s05---2t1.n£5 1mm m,IASCuotn>s-eprvoaptiiMolnoanretafsvblon IIII—111 046"11--1--«06t)0oo &pMoepiujlLaaaatrcidkomnase.nt-ASanlo.currce(enfsoa;rzthAcno(cm2ri0en0ng4a))z;; • City I 1 Water Meijaard et al. {2004); Singleton Ptiofjtypopulatioo River etal. {2004). ORANGUTANS ON THE EDGE Orangutans survive only in the dwindling tropical rainforests of Borneoand northern Sumatra, beingdependenton theforestfor food and nesting sites. Orangutan populations are seriously af fectedwhen their forest is destroyed orlogged, notleastbecause theyareoftenlolledformeatortoprotectnewlyplantedcrops.For example,intheSebangauswampforestsofcentral Borneo,orang- utans fled from illegal logging operations, moving into less ideal habitat(Hussonetal.2002).Tlieresultingovercrowdingledtoan increased death rate among young orangutans, and fewer births amongstfemales.Whentheforeststartedtoregenerate,tlieorang- utans were able to return. In Malaysia, the Kinabatangan Orang- utan Conservation Project has studied the effects ofthe tiansfor- mationwroughtbyloggingondipterocarpforests.Theremovalof mostlargetreesmeansthattheheavyadultmaleorangutanswere forcedtomovealongtheground,increasingtheirvulnerability,but on theotherhand, the invasion ofthe logged forestbyvines and Orangutan biology pioneerspecies soon resulted in an increased abundance offruit (Ancrenazetal. 2005). Iftheyarenotkilledintheprocess,orang- Orangutansareintelligent,strong,largeprimates,andliveasemi- utansinthesehabitatscansurviveselectivelogging.Evidencefrom solitarylifeinthetrees.Abalancedorangutandietconsistsoffruits KetambeandGunimgLeaserin Sumatrasuggeststhattheability and seeds, but they are also able to eat foodstuffs such as bark, leaves and insectstosurvive in times ofshortage. Fresh sleeping oftheseforeststosupportorangutansinitiallydeclineswithselec- nestsarebuiltfrom branchesand leavesalmosteveryevening. tivelogging, butcanrecoverovertime. Over Borneoand Sumatra as awhole, illegallogginghas ledtohugedeclines inorangutans Sumatran orangutans {Pongoobeli!) areonlyfound in Indonesia, andotherwildlife.Whereforestsareconvertedtoplantationsofoil and Borneanorangutans {Pongopygmaeus) onlyin Indonesiaand palm {Elaeisguinecnsis) orothercrops, theconsequencesareeven Malaysia, v/ith occasional males reported aswandering into Bru- moreserious,withmanyorangutansstarving. nei Darussalam.The BorneanandSumatranspecieshaveformed separatebreedingpopulationsforaroundonetotwomillionyears, like all great apes, orangutans have long lifetimes, long "child- differing in genetics, behaviour, diet, life historyand morphology hoods" and relatively low reproductive rates, which makes it dif (MacKinnon etal. 1996; Delgado&.van Schaik 2000, Wich etal. ficult forthem to recoverwhen large numbers are killed. Recent 2004; McConkey2005;Wichetal. 2006a,b;Taylor2006). Neither estimatessuggestthatthereare45000to69000 Bomeanorang- speciesisterritorial, butfullydevelopedadultmalestendtoavoid utansandonly7300 Sumatranorangutansremaininginthewild oneanother, andoccasionallyfightiftheydomeet. j^_ (Caldecott& Miles 2005). The Bomean orangutanis classifiedas EndangeredbylUCN (theWorldConservation Union), indicating TheSumatranorangutanisclassifiedasCriticallyEndangeredby that it has a very high risk ofextinction in the wild in the near lUCN, indicatingthatithasanextremelyhighriskofextinction fiature.ThereareatleastthreesubspeciesofBomeanorangutans: inthewildinthenearfuture. Since1900,thenumberofSuma- Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus (northwest), Pongo pygmaeus wurmhii tran orangutans is thought to have fallen by about 91%, wdth a (central)andPongopygmaeusmorio(northeast) (Figurei).Thecen- rapidlyacceleratinglosstowardstheendofthetwentiethcentury tral Bomean orangutan is the largest, followed by the northwest (McConkey2005).Asaresultoflogging,infrastructuredevelop- subspecies,andthenortheastsubspeciesisthesmallest. ment,internalmigrationandplantationdevelopment,Sumatra's forest area was reduced by 6i% between 1985 and 1997. The There is a serious need for conservation action on bothislands, remaining orangutan population is therefore fragmented, with because even within these fonnally protected areas, orangutans thecoreofits rangebeingthe LeuserEcosystem.Thisconserva- are under pressure. Priority populations for conservation action tionareaisitselfrecognisedinIndonesianlaw,andcontainsthe (Figure i, 2) havebeen identified by scientists working withthe Gunung Leuser National Park, which forms part oftheTropical GreatApes Survival Project(GRASP).Thegoalistoretainviable RainforestHeritageofSumatraWorldHeritage Site. populationsofbothorangutanspeciesandallthreeBomeansub- species in their natural habitats wherever they exist, conserving theirgenetic,culturalandecologicaldiversity.
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