New deal to rescue Borneo orangutans in Malaysia

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Conservationists said Tuesday they were planning a big push to protect Borneo's orangutans, pygmy elephants and other endangered wildlife by purchasing land from palm oil producers to create a forest sanctuary.

The deal is meant to help stave off the demise of orangutans, whose numbers have dwindled amid illegal logging and the rapid spread of palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia, the only two countries where orangutans are found in the wild.

The Malaysian-based LEAP Conservancy group is in talks to buy 222 acres of tropical jungle land in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island from palm oil operators, said Cynthia Ong, LEAP's executive director.

The territory is needed to link two sections of a wildlife reserve that is home to an estimated 600 orangutans, 150 Borneo pygmy elephants and a vast array of other animals including proboscis monkeys, hornbills and river otters.



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gCUwZy1XspT0Ldhrsz99FKdS751QD943APO00

[CheshireCat]

1. This is good news

Illegal logging and the rapid spread of palm oil plantations has is killing orangutans and other wildlife at a breath-taking pace. My heart aches everyday when I think of what we do to the other creatures with who we share this planet.

[Tanuki]

2. It's always great to hear that someone is saving a place for wildlife!

I recently read about a palm-oil plantation owner (also in Malaysian Borneo) who learned that there were proboscis monkeys on his property and set aside 400 acres for a sanctuary, leaving the habitat intact. He built an eco-tourism facility there and people can use it as a base for viewing the wildlife, jungle hiking, etc. It seems like a win-win solution and encourages conservaton while providing jobs for the local people.
http://www.proboscis.cc/