Endangered species
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| Taking action for orang-utans |
WWF works with key audiences in government, industry, education and civil society generally. Together we can make a positive impact on the future of the planet, influencing public policy, corporate agendas, education systems and public environmental awareness.
Assessing populations in Borneo | GRASP - the Great Ape Survival Project | TRAFFIC
Assessing Orang-utan populations in logged forests - Sabah, Borneo
The Kinabatangan floodplain forests of East Sabah, Borneo are one of the few remaining rainforest wetlands in South-east Asia. It is home to 10 primate species, including one of largest orang-utan populations in Malaysia.
Project goals
WWF-Malaysia component:
- to develop a strategy to increase awareness amongst the Malaysian public of the plight of the orang-utan and to highlight the urgency of the need to obtain public support in conservation efforts;
- to plan, develop and implement practical conservation activities with specific target audiences at the Kinabatangan in order to provide better understanding and appreciation of the conservation and management problems faced by local authorities, as well as the need for local community support;
- focal activities: education and awareness directed at a range of target audiences, especially in and around Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and in Sabah more generally, including land developers, plantation owners, state government officials, local communities, local children and the wider Malaysian public. A key aspect is to reduce conflicts between orang-utans and local oil palm plantation owners
HUTAN (a French NGO) component:
- to study orang-utan ecology in disturbed habitat;
- to manage and conserve the orang-utan population in the Lower Kinabatangan region;
- to increase public awareness of orang-utan conservation needs;
- to build the capacity of conservation professionals, local communities and project staff in Sabah;
- to involve local communities in the management of the proposed Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary through the development of a locally-based Wildlife Warden programme;
- to promote local community development which is compatible with wildlife and habitat conservation.
Intensive research conducted as part of this project has shown that the population density of orang-utans in this region is the highest of any surveyed.
Low parasite levels and a wide diversity of food plants indicate a healthy population, which has also been recorded migrating across non-forested areas (a previously unrecorded phenomenon). This raises hope for the possibility that orang-utans will be able to move between isolated forest patches. The study also showed that crop raiding by orang-utans is a seasonal occurrence (to meet specific dietary needs) and for short periods only. Previously landowners shot these animals, believing them to be a permanent threat, but tolerance towards these animals has been fostered due to this research.
Great Ape Survival Project
GRASP is a dynamic alliance of many of the world's leading great ape research and conservation organisations, including WWF. GRASP was launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, September 2002 by UNEP and UNESCO. GRASP's immediate challenge is to lift the threat of imminent extinction faced by gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. For more information visit the GRASP website.
TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC (Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce) was set up in 1976 by WWF and IUCN to help enforce the CITES treaty. Its aims are to:- monitor and report on trade or other forms of utilisation of animals, plants and their derivatives;
- identify areas of trade which may be detrimental to individual species; and
- assist African governments to more effectively implement CITES and national wildlife controls.
To date, major studies on trade in elephant ivory, rhino horn, medicinal plants, wood carving, bushmeat and fisheries issues have been completed.
The TRAFFIC East and southern Africa project provides funding for a consolidated TRAFFIC programme for 18 East and Southern African countries, with a regional coordinating office based in Harare, Zimbabwe, and sub-offices in Tanzania, South Africa and Kenya. The aim is to monitor wildlife, forestry and fisheries trade and sustainable use issues throughout the region and to assist governments with the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and other international or regional wildlife trade or law enforcement agreements.
The key objectives are:- to establish a network for monitoring the wildlife trade in East and Southern Africa;
- to assist African governments with CITES implementation and related issues;
- to support law enforcement agencies in the effort to curb illegal trade in wildlife;
- to ensure that wildlife trade is conducted legally and on a sustainable basis.
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WWF-UK > Research > Issues > Species > Orang-utan > WWF in action
