Tag: Palm Oil
We have been working closely with HUTAN-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project, an organisation located in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, for over a decade now to make a difference and helpprotect orangutans. The critically endangered Bornean orangutan is one of only two great ape species found in Asia – the other being the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan.
In 2016, scientists officially announced Bornean orangutans as ‘Critically Endangered’, making the birth at the zoo extra special. Chester Zoo plays a vital role in helping save wildlife from extinction through conservation breeding programmes; which are becoming more and more important in the survival of threatened species.
Chester Zoo’s curator of mammals, Tim Rowlands, said:
“Bornean orangutan numbers are plummeting at a frightening rate. A major threat to the survival of these magnificent creatures is the unsustainable oil palm industry which is having a devastating effect on the forests where they live. They are also the victims of habitat loss and illegal hunting.
“Those who are responsible for their decline have pushed them to the very edge of existence – and if the rate of loss continues, they could very well be extinct in the next few decades.
It’s therefore absolutely vital that we have a sustainable population of Bornean orangutans in zoos and every addition to the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme is so, so important.
“It’s also imperative that we continue to tackle the excessive deforestation in Borneo and show people everywhere that they too can make a difference to the long-term survival of orangutans. Simple everyday choices, such as making sure your product purchases from the supermarket contain only sustainably sourced palm oil, can have a massive impact.”
It has been proven that the number of Bornean orangutans will decline by about 80% between 1950 and 2025. To put that into perspective – an 80% decline is like losing four out of five people you know! Over the past 40 years, a total of 17.7million hectares of forest has been destroyed in Borneo, mainly due to make way for oil palm plantations. Half of which used to be prime orangutan habitat.
It’s predicted that a further 15 million hectares of forest will be cleared and converted to plantations by 2025! This isn’t the only threat this incredible species is facing; it’s being hunted for its meat and to stop crops from being raided.
We’ve been working with our partners, HUTAN – Kinabatangan orangutan conservation programme for over 10 years to protect the forests and wildlife of the Kinabatangan region of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Our partnership has grown over the years and despite the challenges that remain in the field, we continue to work hard to help make a difference.
We won’t stand back; now is the time to act for orangutans.
Earlier this year the IUCN congress caused ripples through the conservation world with announcements of the re-categorisation of hundreds of threatened species on the IUCN Red List.
Severely affected in recent years are our closest relatives, the great apes, with the IUCN recognising that all six species are under serious threat of extinction. Four of the six ape species are now classed as critically endangered which is just one step away from extinction in the wild.
The most recent re-classifications are:
Bornean orangutan
Following an assessment led by Marc Ancrenaz, scientific director at HUTAN (our project partners in Borneo), it was discovered that Bornean orangutans are one step closer to extinction in the wild.
We’ve been working with HUTAN to protect this species for over 10 years and will continue to fight to save it before we lose it forever. Orangutans are threatened by hunting and habitat destruction for agricultural land; mainly for the cultivation of palm oil.
Join the Sustainable Palm Oil Challenge and help save orangutans.
Grauer’s gorilla
The Grauer’s gorilla population has seen a catastrophic decline; the species has seen a staggering 77% decline in less than two decades due to illegal hunting for bush-meat associated with unregulated mining in remote rainforests.
Chester Zoo’s Africa field programme coordinator has worked extensively with Grauer’s gorilla and spent 11 years conducting significant research into the ecology of the species which has been used to classify it as one of the most endangered primates in the world. Read more about Stuart’s research, and that of other collaborating partners, here.
Western chimpanzee
The Western chimpanzee is a subspecies of chimpanzee and the same species we have at the zoo. Chester Zoo’s troop contributes to a successful international breeding program. This is the first ever chimpanzee subspecies to join the list of critically endangered great apes, making our group even more important. In the wild, these chimpanzees are under huge threats from bush-meat hunting as well as extensive and increasing habitat loss and fragmentation.
All other chimpanzee subspecies are facing similar threats, are listed as endangered by the IUCN including the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, which we’re working to protect the in Nigeria. Over the years, we have been conducting research in Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria, monitoring and protecting the chimpanzees in Nigeria to ensure this species doesn’t have the same fate as the Western chimpanzee which is edging dangerously close to extinction in the wild.
Despite all of the above reclassifications, there were several good news stories reported at the IUCN congress, including the down-listing of the giant panda from ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ as a result of a significant population increase.
That’s why we must continue to Act for Wildlife. But to do so, we need your help.
Coming face to face with the world’s largest reptilian isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Luke Evans has been studying this species for a number of years as part of his PhD and has managed to get pretty close to understand more about these incredible animals. Discover more about this crocodile project, supported by Chester Zoo, below:
Saltwater, or estuarine, crocodiles can be found in rivers and swamps but with the increase in palm oil plantations, and other changes to the environment, their habitat has become quite fragmented. As a result of this the overall amounts of prey available for the crocodile species has decreased considerably, which has led to an increase in human-crocodile conflict in areas that are close to plantations.
Luke Evans is studying crocodiles at Danau Girang Field Centre in Sabah and, to gather data for his research, has been learning to fly a conservation drone (a remote controlled plane) which has a digital camera attached to take photos of the landscape below.
Crocodile nests are often found in open areas as sunlight can help to regulate the internal nest temperature. This means that droning is the perfect way to find them as they can be seen easily from above!
Luke has been flying different missions in various areas of the Kinabatangan looking for evidence of crocodile nests. The first missions were a huge success and potential crocodile nests were found and investigated. This could not have been done without the help of the drone as the nests are often found in swampy areas with high vegetation, so could not be seen from ground level unless you knew where to look!
The first site that was investigated was a crocodile nest, and a video camera trap was set up near it to try and catch the mother crocodile returning. But unfortunately there were no signs of her returning.
Not only does the drone help us find crocodile nests, the pictures can also be stitched together and create an up-to-date image of the landscape below, allowing views of the areas along the Kinabatangan river which can be used for multiple conservation projects. Luke’s research aims to find out how the changing landscape, as a result of the increase in palm oil plantations, in this region is impacting the nesting behaviours of the saltwater crocodile.
The results from the research Luke and the team carried out have recently been published, which can be found here.
The drones the team used improved on previous research techniques and enabled them to pin-point and map crocodile nesting sites. This mapping can help to prevent human-wildlife conflict with the crocodiles in areas where their habitat has become increasingly fragmented by oil palm plantations and their nests are close to local villages.
Luke’s research also discovered that the female saltwater crocodiles don’t seem to re-use their nest from one year to the next, suggesting that they either don’t nest on an annual basis or actually search for new sites each year – or both could be true, every time a female nests she chooses a new site.
Photo credit: Sabah Wildlife Department / Danau Girang Field Centre
Cat and Jenny recently spent time in Borneo with our partners HUTAN; meeting and seeing first-hand the work the project team are doing in the field.
The question we are most often asked when we talk about sustainable palm oil is: what does a sustainable oil palm plantation look like? There is no single definition of sustainable palm oil. 85% of palm oil is grown in Indonesia and Malaysia, and both countries have mandatory national standards for growing oil palm. Voluntary standards are also in place to improve standards of sustainable palm oil; these schemes vary in their aims and criteria which makes understanding sustainable palm oil a bit of a headache!
The recent trip was a great opportunity to talk about current conservation challenges, progress made so far and to look forward at future opportunities where we can help make a difference.
Jenny tells us more about the field trip:
Meeting the orangutan research team…
“The data gathered from monitoring the orangutans in the field is crucial for estimating population sizes and understanding more about their ecology. In recent years, orangutans have had to adapt to their ever-changing environment, as oil palm plantations and other human activities encroach upon the rainforest they depend upon. Understanding how orangutans adapt to these changes and their fundamental needs is vital information if we are to conserve and protect them.
Jenny (left) with some of the HUTAN team. Photo credit: HUTAN
It was a real privilege to observe orangutans in the wild and to meet the HUTAN team dedicated to monitoring them.
“Most recently, HUTAN’s research has also resulted in the Bornean orangutan being officially classified as ‘critically endangered’ on the IUCN Red List – only one step away from ‘extinct in the wild’. We need to work together to make changes in the management of habitat to ensure that humans and orangutans can successfully co-exist.
Meeting the HUTAN warden team…
“The wardens carry out enforcement activities around the Kinabatangan, monitoring human activity in and around the forest and providing a crucial link between the conservationists and the local community.
“Wildlife surveys along the river are a large part of the wardens’ responsibilities: this includes monitoring the eight species of hornbill found in the region and their use of the artificial nest boxes we assisted the team to create in 2013.
“Azri, head of the warden team, took us to see the orangutan bridges and nest boxes that our team helped HUTAN to create. It was rewarding to also visit a reforestation site which our team visited and helped to plant five years ago. The site had been illegally planted with oil palm trees, but was reclaimed and replanted with fast growing native species. The site was monitored for three years after planting and is now well established.
“These wild elephants walked along the river and then disappeared off into the oil palm plantation behind – a reminder that these forests are home to so many animal species and made us more determined to work to protect them.
Visiting a sustainable palm oil plantation
“As part of our Sustainable Palm Oil Challenge we have been encouraging people to buy products that have been certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) as using certified sustainable palm oil.
Two bottles of palm oil in a local shop.
“To gain a better understanding of what growing RSPO certified sustainable palm oil actually means, we were able to visit a certified plantation. It was encouraging to see the steps companies are taking to protect wildlife and achieve better working practices for their employees.
Working with the community
“For a number of years we’ve been working with HUTAN’s education team (HEAP), assisting with a strategy for their learning programme. Their programme centres on improving knowledge about the forests and the negative impact humans can have on wildlife.
“One of the focuses for this trip was to discuss next steps with the team and look into how some of the community and education skills we use can help the local community to get more involved in efforts to protect wildlife. We’ll be working with the HEAP team to assist their efforts over the months to come.
HUTAN is about people. We have a lot of hope for the future. Working with the community here, we can fix this
What’s next for our work in Borneo
“The recent news about the change in status of the Bornean orangutan has made the work we do in this region even more important. Ensuring that orangutans continue to exist in these human-dominated landscapes is a challenge which we’ll continue to help find solutions for through our partnership with HUTAN and our support of their work in the field. Our support for transforming the palm oil market to a sustainable supply is now even more critical.”
These forests are home to some of the most threatened species on the planet – including the iconic Bornean orangutan and pygmy elephants. As a zoo, we are in a unique position to provide technical support and assistance to projects on the ground, using our skills to help boost their conservation efforts. Conservation is all about partnerships and our relationship with HUTAN is exactly that; HUTAN have a strong sense that collaboration is key to successful projects.
Our partnership has grown over the years and despite the challenges that remain in the field, we continue to work hard to help make a positive difference.
Working with the community to bring about change
For a number of years we’ve been working with HUTAN’s education team (HEAP), assisting with a strategy for their learning programme. Our Discovery and Learning team here at the zoo are specialists in their field and together with HEAP successfully produced a plan for their education programmes which centres on improving knowledge about the forests and the negative impact humans can have on wildlife. Over the years, the HEAP team have built up a positive reputation in the community and work closely with schools, other conservation organisations, government departments and communities to protect the wildlife of the region. Our next steps will look into how some of the community and education skills we use at the zoo can help the local community to get more involved in efforts to protect wildlife.
Sustainable palm oil
One of our key campaigns at the zoo is our Sustainable Palm Oil Challenge, aiming to increase the demand for sustainable palm oil. This is a hugely important campaign for us, as it directly impacts the work that our partners are doing in the field. By working on the consumer end of the palm oil supply chain, we are backing up the work that HUTAN is doing in the field on the production end of the chain.
We are in a unique position as a conservation organisation to help promote behaviour change; not only are we a conservation organisation that has over 1.6 million visitors a year to talk to, we are also a conservation organisation that procures and sells food items on site. This means that we can have a huge impact on the demand for sustainable palm oil in the UK. We work really hard with other UK and international partners to improve the sustainability of palm oil and increase demand, supporting HUTAN’s work on the ground. But we need your help too!
Orangutan bridges
Starting in 2004, the orangutan bridge project is an area we have increased our involvement in. The bridges are an innovative idea for reconnecting orangutan populations which have become isolated from each other for many reasons, such as oil palm plantations, roads and drainage channels. Following the initial six bridges built by HUTAN and partners, we got involved in 2011. The reason for our initial involvement was simple; HUTAN needed a new material to build their rope bridges with as the ropes they had been using were too heavy and could cause damage to trees. We discussed the use of webbing material used in our orangutan enclosure in the zoo which has unique properties; lightweight, non-biodegradable and UV resistant – perfect for the environmental conditions found in Sabah. Most importantly, the material had been tried and tested by the orangutans at Chester Zoo! Our teams at the zoo have been involved in two trips so far to build more bridges to connect vital patches of habitat and more are planned in the future. We also have great evidence now of the use of these bridges thanks to one observant tourist!
Artificial hornbill nest boxes
Eight species of hornbill are found in the Kinabatangan region; many are classified as endangered and the helmeted hornbill has been reclassified recently as critically endangered. Due to the forest being a secondary forest, it lacks old mature trees for hornbills to nest in. As a temporary measure, artificial nest boxes are a key part of the strategy to ensure the hornbill species remain and successfully breed in the area. For many years, our bird team in the zoo have been creating artificial habitat for hornbills to encourage conservation breeding. Our teams therefore have excellent knowledge and experience of trialling and testing these boxes to end up with a positive result for hornbill breeding. In 2013, we started to work with HUTAN on this new project to help develop a successful prototype to use in the field. The boxes built in 2013 are being monitored in the field by HUTAN, and we’re working in the zoo to develop new prototypes which will hopefully promote breeding by the larger more threatened hornbill species of the region.
Artificial hornbill nest in a tree. Photo credit: HUTAN
Social marketing
Our newest partnership project with HUTAN has recently developed with our marketing team at the zoo. Our marketing professionals have extensive experience in areas including website design, social media and behaviour change. All of these areas of work are important in communicating and promoting environmental protection. We’ve started to work alongside HUTAN to develop this area of work and we’ll keep you posted with how it goes!
To put that into perspective – an 80% decline is like losing four out of five people you know!
Over the past 40 years, a total of 17.7 million hectares of forest has been destroyed in Borneo, mainly due to make way for oil palm plantations. Half of these forests used to be prime orangutan habitat. Deforestation is accelerating and it’s predicted that a further 15 million hectares of forests will be cleared and converted to plantations by 2025! However, this isn’t the only threat this incredible species is facing; it is being hunted for its meat and to stop crops from being raided.
The future is looking pretty bleak for the orangutan but there’s still hope.
Two major strategies exist to save orangutans from extinction: protecting the individuals or protecting their forest habitat. These strategies are both complex, but we can all contribute to make a difference.
Marc Ancrenaz tells us more:
Securing the future
“Hunting is the major reason for orangutan decline in Borneo. This threat must be stopped. The law must be enforced, and people need to become aware about the protected status of the species. The main responsibility here lies with enforcement authorities of Malaysia and Indonesia, and with groups that are fighting wildlife trade or are raising awareness about the orangutans in Borneo.
“Increasing the size of protected forests is an obvious option to ensure the long-term survival of the species; less than a third of orangutans are currently living within protected forests in Borneo. Unfortunately, protecting all forests containing orangutans is highly unlikely, and in addition, many protected areas are in crisis today because of the continuing lack of resources allocated for their management. As a result many ‘protected’ populations are still declining across the island. Improving the protection of these areas is therefore necessary but isn’t sufficient if we aim at securing the future of the orangutan in Borneo.
“It’s vital that we identify methods for people to understand and accept living alongside the ‘man of the forest’, to ensure the survival of orangutans and the many other species living within their habitat.
“Industries responsible for orangutan decline (such as timber, oil palm or mining) must become more responsible and adhere to sustainable management practices. Creating forest corridors to link isolated orangutan populations together following the breaking up of their habitat will provide a way for the animals to move across highly transformed landscapes.
“A positive note is that recent progress in technology and science provides the necessary tools to design optimal landscapes where economic and conservation interests can be resolved. Their implementation requires better informed decision making and more transparent land-use decisions. Human societies need to shift from a ‘Business-As-Usual’ approach to a more holistic vision where long-term profits for the majority are favoured over short term profits for a few.
“Governments and industries alike will embrace more sustainable practices only when the ‘market’ will require so. This is where our daily choices as consumers will contribute to make a difference. By selecting certified products (tropical timber certified by FSC; palm oil certified by RSPO for example) we are sending strong signals to growers, producers and retailers that we care for the orangutan, we care for the environment, we care for tomorrow.
“We will save the orangutan only when people start to pay attention and to care enough about the natural wonders that are around us, wherever we live on Earth.”
We will continue to work with HUTAN and fight to save orangutans from extinction. You can too by joining our Sustainable Palm Oil Challenge today or make a donation here. Watch this space for more updates from our latest field trip to Borneo.
We’d like to introduce you to Ross Edgley, one of our amazing Act for Wildlife supporters. Ross is an athlete adventurer, chief sports scientist at THE PROTEIN WORKS™ and is considered one of the world’s most travelled fitness experts.
As you can probably guess from the title of this blog, this man is going pretty far to help raise awareness and funds for our orangutan conservation work! He tells us more:
“The work Chester Zoo do is amazing. From saving endangered species – the scimitar-horned oryx being a favorite of mine – to combatting deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra; their projects are of profound global importance and every inch of the zoo is run by ‘undercover’ superheroes who work with this admirable, quiet modesty!
“I’m what some people call an athlete adventurer. This means I’ve a tendency to set physical challenges to raise awareness and money for some truly deserving charities and causes. This year began as I ran a marathon (26.2 miles) pulling a 1.4 tonne car for Children with Cancer. I then decided to climb a 20m rope (repeatedly) until I’d climbed the height of Everest (8.848m) for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
“But both of these seem tame compared to my latest stunt. On the 19 July I decided to strap a 50kg Marine backpack to myself and cover 1,000 miles, in a month, barefoot. Why? It was my hope my fitness-based lunacy would raise awareness and funds for Chester Zoo’s Act for Wildlife campaign and its sustainable palm oil project.
“This is because when travelling (eight countries in eight months visiting everywhere from the Brazilian rainforest to Bangladesh) I became painfully aware of the mass-scale unsustainable farming taking place and the need for ethical agriculture. Fast forward a few years and returning home I became part of the founding team at THE PROTEIN WORKS™ (Europe’s fastest growing nutrition brand) and as a team we identified the expanding unsustainable palm oil industry as one of the biggest threats facing regions in Borneo and Sumatra and the species that inhabit it.
“This is because palm oil is used in around 50% of packaged supermarket products. For us at THE PROTEIN WORKS™ this includes our vegan protein snacks, which is why as well as solely using palm oil suppliers who are Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified, we decided to take it one step further. That’s when my 1,000 mile marine month was created to show our commitment to supporting the market transformation to a fully sustainable palm oil supply, to help reduce the industries impact on the environment and to help protect beautiful wildlife like orangutans.
“The weather has been kind with mainly blue skies and green grass. The terrain has been a little less forgiving as you’ll see from the newly hardened soles of my feet and a missing toenail on my right foot.
Ouch! That looks painful…
“But the highlight has to be running around the zoo among the animals with my backpack. Having a rhino, giraffe and few orangutans as my training partners for the evening was a workout I’ll never forget and I want to say a big thank you to the entire Chester Zoo team for making it possible.
“With a few days left I’m now in the home straight and need a sprint finish to complete the 1,000 miles at the Bear Grylls Survival Race. Once I do, there will be time for some mini celebrations, all before I embark on my next adventure…”
To follow Ross’s 1,000 Mile Marine Month and support his challenge, visit his Just Giving page, here or follow him on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.