How do habitat loss and hunting together threaten Bornean orangutans?

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) faces a critical threat to its survival due to the combined pressures of habitat loss and hunting, which together are hastening the species' decline toward potential extinction by the middle of the 21st century.1

• Habitat Loss: Large areas of tropical forest in Indonesia and Malaysia have been cleared for human settlements, roads, timber estates, and, most significantly, the cultivation of oil palm. This destruction deprives orangutans of the essential living space and food resources they require to survive.21
• Hunting: In addition to the loss of their environment, Bornean orangutans have been subjected to significant hunting pressure. Between 1971 and 2011, thousands of individuals were killed annually.1

Ecologists emphasize that these drivers do not act in isolation; the interaction between them exacerbates the pace of biodiversity loss. Fragmented ecosystems resulting from forest clearing are less resilient, and the roads created for industrial development often provide easier access for hunters to reach previously remote populations. The cumulative impact of these human-driven disturbances has caused the Bornean orangutan population to decline by more than 50 percent between 1970 and 2010.12