Forestry Ministry reports 11,694 Sumatran orangutans in survey
“Orangutan conservation is a shared responsibility. Success depends on close collaboration among the government, academics, conservation partners, businesses, and local communities. The scientific data generated from this survey will serve as a vital basis for formulating targeted conservation policies,” Forestry Deputy Minister Rohmat Marzuki said on Monday.
He noted that the results of the 2021-2023 survey will serve as a scientific basis for developing more effective conservation policies and measures to protect these endangered species.
Meanwhile, a population survey for the 2021–2023 period showed an estimated Sumatran orangutan population of 11,694 individuals and a Tapanuli orangutan population of 716 individuals.
The survey results also indicate serious challenges to conservation efforts for these two protected species.
The decline in the Sumatran orangutan population since 2011, along with the Tapanuli orangutan’s high vulnerability in the Batang Toru landscape, underscores the need to strengthen conservation efforts through science-based approaches, habitat protection, law enforcement, and cross-sector collaboration.
In line with the Ministry of Forestry’s Strategic Plan, Marzuki conveyed that the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation continues to maintain the ecological functions of biodiversity, increase the effectiveness of conservation area management, and strengthen biodiversity protection governance both inside and outside forest areas through the development of preservation areas.
According to him, the initiative will include not only a population survey but also the preparation of a Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA).
This step is a crucial part of supporting the implementation of the Indonesian Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (IBSAP) 2025-2045, which prioritizes species and biodiversity protection as a national priority.
“Population surveys and compiling PHVAs are crucial in supporting the implementation of the IBSAP 2025-2045, which prioritizes species and biodiversity protection as a national priority. Therefore, all stakeholders must continue working together to ensure the systematic, adaptive, and sustainable conservation of Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans,” he remarked.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Resinta Sulistiyandari