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How did palm oil cultivation threaten Bornean orangutans?
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Biosphere
Earth's environment includes the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, and the biosphere.
Palm oil cultivation has significantly threatened the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) primarily through the large-scale clearing of tropical forests in Indonesia and Malaysia to make room for oil palm plantations.1
This process has negatively impacted the species in several critical ways:
- Habitat Loss: The conversion of vast forest areas into agricultural land has deprived orangutans of their essential living space and food resources.1
- Direct Mortality: Adult orangutans are often killed when their forest habitats are destroyed, which frequently leads to their offspring being captured for the illegal pet trade.2
- Fragmentation: The resulting landscape fragmentation isolates populations, making it difficult for the animals to survive and reproduce.13
Between 1980 and 2010, palm oil production in these regions increased by 900 percent, creating a major obstacle to the survival of the species. Conservation efforts, such as those led by the Orangutan Foundation International, work to protect land from manufacturers and rehabilitate displaced orangutans, as the species faces a potential risk of extinction by the middle of the 21st century.12