WWF : Orangutans are one of the most at-risk wildlife yet

Bukit Piton was once a degraded forest. Thankfully, after years of reforestation efforts spearheaded by WWF-Malaysia and the Sabah Forestry Department, the reserve is now able to support wildlife, especially its orangutan inhabitants.

Many of orangutan's forest homes are in danger of rapid development and conversion of land.

The total projected cost to restore 150 hectares of degraded forests in Sabah, namely Trusan Sugut Class 1 Forest Reserve is approximately RM 3.1 million.

Did you know the orangutan is one of the slowest reproducing species in the world, usually giving birth to just one infant every six to eight years ? This makes them highly prone to extinction as it takes a long time for their population to recover from decline. Thus, saving this critically endangered Bornean Orangutans requires continuous and collaborative efforts.

As a mostly fruit eating species, the orangutan plays a key role in forest regeneration as it disperses seeds which help regenerate more fruit trees. Unfortunately, with illegal logging and deforestation, these agile tree-climbing mammals are living in degraded and isolated patches of forests where food and shelter are limited.

Aside from restoration efforts, another method to address this threat is the building of ecological corridors to facilitate the movement of orangutans and other species between isolated patches of forest to find food, shelter and mates. We have now identified nine ecological corridors requiring connectivity, with at least four being crucial to the orangutan survival in Sabah.

WWF-Malaysia.