Indonesia fires threaten critically endangered orangutan: IUCN

Wildfires ravaging Indonesian Borneo have put 52% of the orangutan population in peril, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Indonesia has been grappling with fires for weeks, affecting Borneo and Sumatra, and causing a dense haze that blankets the islands and neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. Currently, these fires are burning within habitats that house 52% of Borneo's orangutan population, including 13 out of 20 largest remaining populations.

Fire and smoke exposure have a significant impact on orangutans, leading to physiological, behavioral, and ecological costs. During haze, orangutans display signs of fat breakdown, despite consuming more food and resting more, indicating heightened energy demands. These demands are likely due to an overworked immune system.

Fires have also been reported in the habitats of five gibbon species across Sumatra and Borneo. Like orangutans, gibbons share the same smoke-filled air as humans living nearby, raising concerns about their respiratory health, in addition to habitat loss and disruptions to behaviors that maintain viable wild populations.

As of Tuesday, Indonesia had rescued 100 animals, including 53 orangutans, affected by the blazes, reported a forestry ministry spokesman. Conservationists urge authorities to go beyond the initial response and implement prevention measures. Emergency response should be followed by sustained investment in fire prevention, as suggested by Ronna Saab of Forum Konservasi Orangutan Indonesia (FORINA).

She emphasizes the need for protecting and rewetting peatlands, addressing drainage and deforestation, ensuring burned forests are protected from conversion, and appropriately restoring them.

The Indonesian government reported that more than 202,000 hectares of land were burned nationwide between January and July, while the Nusantara Atlas project estimates the figure closer to 900,000 hectares between January and August.