Palm Oil Versus Orangutans
Orangutans live in the areas that companies prefer to build and construct their oil palm tree plantations; "fertile lowland soils close to rivers." These areas are almost always amongst heavily dense forests. Their homes are forever going into destruction because the world-wide demand for palm oil is in no way stagnate or decreasing. The increased demand for the product means that the price of the oil will increase, and thus their will be encouragement to continue and expand the production for the economical benefit for many parties. The construction of the plantations causes a reduction in the natural habitat of the orangutans. On the island of Borneo alone, there are twenty-five thousand square kilometres of oil palm tree plantations. Of course, this figure increases dramatically every few days. In the locations of oil palm tree plantation construction, it is highly common for there to be more illegal poaching of orangutans for the illegal pet trade. The way in which these ancient forests are 'removed' for replacement of plantations is by the use of 'forest fires'. These fires do not only destroy the orangutans homes and habitats, but they are responsible for the deaths of thousands of the slow-moving creatures whose fate is met by the terrible death of burning or smoke inhalation as they would have been unable to escape the perils of the fires. In many areas on the island of Borneo and the region of Sumatra, many orangutans are shot and killed by plantation owners and workers as they are seen as a 'pest' in their in home; it is absolutely absurd.
Figure 7. Orangutan Population Decrease in Borneo below shows that between the years 1930 and 2004, the population of Orangutans on the island of Borneo has almost completely been depleted.
Figure 7. Orangutan Population Decrease in Borneo below shows that between the years 1930 and 2004, the population of Orangutans on the island of Borneo has almost completely been depleted.