ORANGUTAN

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Context

• Malaysia has tweaked his earlier proposal of sending critically endangered orangutans as gifts to palm oil-purchasing countries.

Latest Proposal

• According to the latest proposal, importers of Malaysian palm oil will be offered to “sponsor” one or more orangutans and the funds will be used for their conservation within Malaysia — instead of sending the adopted primates aboard.
• Malaysia revised his policy after it faced widespread criticism, especially from wildlife conservationists who called it “obscene” and “repugnant”.

Why was this policy proposed? Why was it criticised?

‘Orangutan diplomacy’

• Malaysia first announced his plans to gift orangutans to palm oil-buying countries in May this year, saying the policy was inspired by China’s “panda diplomacy” — the practice of sending pandas from China to other countries as a tool of diplomacy and wildlife conservation.
• Malaysia, the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, has been under immense pressure to make its palm oil industry more sustainable. The industry has been linked to deforestation, causing the loss of habitat for orangutans.
• These apes are found in the rainforests of the islands of Borneo and Sumatra — shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. Currently, the orangutan population stands at about 120,000 and is threatened by rapid deforestation primarily due to palm oil plantations, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund.
• With the proposed “orangutan diplomacy”, Malaysia wanted to alleviate concerns regarding the impact of palm oil production on orangutans.
• Notably, the announcement came not long after the European Union banned the import of goods linked to deforestation.

The criticism

• The animal welfare groups severely criticised Malaysia’s initial strategy, saying it was hypocritical to destroy forests (for palm oil production) where orangutans live and give them as gifts in exchange for “getting favours” from trading countries.
• “Protecting the forest, which is the natural habitat of orangutans, is the most important step that needs to be taken.
• Also, there was a huge difference between Malaysia’s proposed “orangutan diplomacy” and China’s “panda diplomacy”.
• China has state-of-the-art facilities for pandas and more importantly, has established protected areas that safeguard wild panda populations. What Malaysia’s government is proposing is not comparable to China’s policy.

Orangutans

• Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia.
• They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China.
• Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were originally considered to be one species.
• From 1996, they were divided into two species: the Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus, with three subspecies) and the Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii).
• A third species, the Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis), was identified definitively in 2017.
• The orangutans are the only surviving species of the subfamily Ponginae, which diverged genetically from the other hominids (gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans) between 19.3 and 15.7 million years ago.
• They can live over 30 years, both in the wild and in captivity.
• Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates.
• All three orangutan species are considered critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List of mammals.
• They are legally protected from capture, harm or killing in both Malaysia and Indonesia and are listed under Appendix I by CITES, which prohibits their unlicensed trade under international law.
• Human activities have caused severe declines in populations and ranges.
• Threats to wild orangutan populations include poaching (for bushmeat and retaliation for consuming crops), habitat destruction and deforestation (for palm oil cultivation and logging), and the illegal pet trade.
• Several conservation and rehabilitation organisations are dedicated to the survival of orangutans in the wild.

The Bornean orangutan range has become more fragmented, with few or no apes documented in the southeast. The largest remaining population is found in the forest around the Sabangau River, but this environment is at risk. The Sumatran orangutan is found only in the northern part of Sumatra, most of the population inhabiting the Leuser Ecosystem. The Tapanuli orangutan is found only in the Batang Toru forest of Sumatra.

MUST READ ARTICLE ON PALM OIL: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/palm-oil-39#:~:text=Deforestation%3APalm%20oil%20has%20been,pygmy%20elephant%20and%20Sumatran%20rhino. 

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. What are your views on the criticism of Malaysia’s “orangutan diplomacy” by wildlife conservationists? Suggest steps that Malaysia can take to conserve the critically endangered Orangutan population and balance economic interests with environmental conservation.

SOURCE: BUSINESS STANDARD