Research and writing assignment April 08
Letter to Congress Regarding the Conservation of the Sumatran Orangutan
Dear Member of Congress,
I am writing to attract your attention to the need of the Sumatran Orangutan. ( Pongo Abelii). This orangutan is similar to the more common (but still endangered) Borneo Orangutan (Pongo Pygmaeus) and it was only in 1996 that careful study of DNA evidence revealed it to be a separate species.
The Sumatran Orangutan has been classified as Critically Endangered by the Species Survival Commission of the World Conservation Union, meaning that their risk of extinction in the immediate future is extremely high unless action is taken to protect this species and their habitat. The decline in numbers of this species has been pronounced. While records show that there was somewhere in the region of 225,000 orangutans in Borneo alone less than 100 years ago, studies in 2002 showed the numbers of these animals to be less than 3,500. The largest threat to this species is loss of habitat from forest fire and human activity.
The Sumatran Orangutan is a large animal that can weigh up to 200 pounds. They have a muscular, stocky body with disproportionately long arms, short legs and no tail. Orangutans are a strong example of how a species evolves in very specific ways to optimally adapt to their environment. They spend most of their lives in the trees, and their strong arms allow them to easily grab branches and support their weight as they move. Their smaller, bowed legs are unable to bear their weight for long periods of time, or to travel over long distances on the ground.
Their physiology is designed to help them move, forage and survive in their natural habitat in the trees, making it difficult for them to adapt to a new environment on the ground or to escape quickly from the threat of a forest fire.
They have long lifespan of an average of 35 years in the wild. Their reproductive cycle is markedly slow, with females only bearing one offspring at a time, and having a long inter-birth interval. This slow life history is a contributing factor to their endangerment, as populations take a long time to recover from decreased numbers.
An effective conservation plan would include various initiatives and legislation that would see a combined effort from governments, commerce and public sectors. Some elements of a multi-faceted conservation plan are outlined below.
Tighter regulation of deforestation
Illegal logging is one of the most immediate threats to the Pongo Abelii population. This includes deforestation in protected areas of Natural Park.
Closer monitoring and regulation of commercial logging and prevention of illegal logging is needed to prevent this destruction of natural habitat.
Not all deforestation is illegal, and some areas of rainforest are being destroyed in order to make use of the land to create sources of food and income for local people. While these efforts are admirable, careful investigation must be done on areas of forest before converting to agriculture in order to determine the full effects on the ecology.
Tourism
There are many possibilities of how tourism can be used in a positive way to help preserve the rainforest habitat and conserve endangered species such as the Sumatran Orangutan.
Public education for tourists, funded by the government, aimed at encouraging appreciation and awareness of the natural environment this can create a demand for visits to the area. Increase of tourism revenue such as entrance fees, taxes, licenses can generate revenue to support the conservational parks. Tourism can also provide a variety of jobs and income for a local area that may help to decrease a dependence on cash flow from illegal logging.
An increase in tourism must be coupled with a promotion of responsible tourism practices that may affect the local ecology through environmental management and planning. For example, there should be strict guidance on waste disposal, use of non-toxic products, careful planning into infrastructure such as roads and buildings so to minimize the impact of increased human traffic in the area.
Increased funding for research facilities in areas where orangutans are native.
These facilities could double as tourist attractions and public education centres, furthering goals previously mentioned in this conservation plan. This approach has proved successful in the protection of many endangered species in areas such as Hawaii and the Dominican Republic.
Orangutans are the only great ape species to be found naturally outside Africa, and the only existing population remains on the island nations that make up Indonesia making them an important species to study to learn more about the historical migration patterns of the great apes. Fossil evidence shows that these orangutans were once found across continental Asia, and how they ended up in such isolated population clusters is a question that is worth studying. Another interesting area for study is the long time that young take to be weaned from their mothers. Orangutans are very solitary animals, and yet their offspring may remain with them for 7-8 years despite the fact that they achieve optimal strength, mobility and the skills needed for independent survival after as little as 3 years, and a maximum of 6. While there are hypothesis surrounding this behaviour there is no conclusive reason for this reliance on indirect maternal care. Since Orangutans share 95% of human DNA the results of research could prove useful to our understanding of human development both in a current and historical context.
There have undoubtedly been other species of great apes between Africa and Indonesia that are now extinct that may have helped to shed light on how various primate species (including early humans) evolve and migrate. It is crucial that we do not let another primate species suffer the same fate.
Sincerely,
Works Cited
Renner, Swen C. “Orangutan” Great Apes Survival Project. 2008 United Nations Environment Project. 6th May 2008 www.unep.org/grasp/docs/Orangutan.pdf
“Environmental Impacts of Tourism” United Nations Environment Project Division of Technology, Industry, and Economics 6th May 2008 www.unep.fr/scp
Sustainable Consumption & Production Branch
Marni Pyke. "An appeal for the apes Orangutans are dying by the thousands as habitat is destroyed :[All Edition]. " Daily Herald [Arlington Heights, Ill.] 19 Oct. 2007,5. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Shatford Library, Pasadena, CA. 9 May. 2008 http://www.proquest.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/
"Life Sciences; Research conducted at Harvard University, Department of Anthropology has provided new information about life sciences. " Science Letter 15 Apr. 2008: 3574. Health Module. ProQuest. Shatford Library, Pasadena, CA. 9 May. 2008 http://www.proquest.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/
Gijsbertus G. J. van Adrichem, Sri Suci Utami, Serge A. Wich, Jan A. R. A. M. van Hooff, Elisabeth H. M. Sterck. "The development of wild immature Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) at Ketambe. " Primates 47.4 (2006): 300-9. Sciences Module. ProQuest. Shatford Library, Pasadena, CA. 9 May. 2008 http://www.proquest.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/
Arthur Max Associated Press. "Orangutans flee threatened habitat Illegal logging destroys Indonesian rainforests; 98 ; degraded by 2022 :[Final Edition]. " Journal - Gazette [Ft. Wayne, Ind.] 12 Jun 2007,6A. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. Shatford Library, Pasadena, CA. 9 May. 2008 http://www.proquest.com.ezp.pasadena.edu/