NOTES FROM THE FIELD: PROTECTING ORANGUTANS IN BORNEO

An Expert’s Journey Into Borneo’s Forests – and the Species Hanging On

In October, WWF-Australia’s Threatened Species Manager, Patrick Giumelli, embarked on a field trip to Borneo, Indonesia, to witness conservation work in action to protect orangutans and their forest homes. What he saw changed him forever.

Borneo is one of the last places on Earth to find orangutans in the wild

Orangutans are found on two islands on the planet: Borneo and Sumatra.

Previously found across Southeast Asia and southern China, their habitat (and population) has been shrinking fast.

There are only 104,000 Bornean, 14,000 Sumatran and fewer than 800 Tapanuli orangutans left in the wild.

How Borneo’s orangutans are on the brink of extinction

Twenty years ago, Critically Endangered orangutans in Borneo had no chance.

Forests were being cleared for palm oil plantations, and logging and fires caused mass habitat destruction.

Thousands of orangutans died.

Why we need to help the orangutans

Since the early 2000s, habitat restoration and conservation efforts have seen orangutans come back.

Orangutans share around 97% of our DNA. Like humans, they form strong bonds, learn complex skills and care deeply for their young. But they can’t survive without forests.

And they can’t survive without you.

Field notes from Patrick’s ‘wild’ experience on the ground in Borneo

Arriving in Borneo, we stopped at a critical corridor of orangutan habitat where a proposed ecobridge for orangutans and wildlife to safely cross a busy road is urgently needed.

Hearing firsthand about an orangutan in distress as it walked back and forth, attempting to find a clear space to cross, was deeply confronting.

Planting food trees for orangutans

The good news is, at our next stop – a social forestry initiative at Kapakat Atei – restoration was in full swing.

Around 4,566 hectares of land, managed by five local villages, support about 63 orangutans frequenting this location.

Restoration of 300,000 hectares of forest at Sebangau National Park

We made our way to Tehang Tuan Canal in Sebangau National Park. Almost 20 years ago, this peatland was drained for paddy rice farming, and the area suffered repeated fires up until 2015.

Since then, a huge restoration effort has blocked the canals and rewetted over 300,000 hectares of peatland forest, in close collaboration with the local community.

Orangutans in the wild – a day I’ll never forget

Soon, we headed to an eco-tourism and research hub run by locals.

The centre supports WWF by collecting data for orangutan, wildlife and Sebangau National Park conservation.

The community receives income from tourism and researchers using the centre, providing sustainable livelihoods for the villagers.

After travelling in boats along the canals, we arrived at a known sighting spot.

We quietly walked 100 metres through knee-deep puddles until we came across the amazing sight of a female orangutan in the trees feeding with her baby.

Meeting the gaze of a wild orangutan is an experience that stays with you.

A dash of playfulness

The female orangutan was largely unbothered, but the juvenile, a four-year-old male, was keeping a close eye on us.

What happened next made us laugh.

Like many four-year-olds, this juvenile was just as cheeky, and we had to move to avoid being peed on!

After he’d had enough fun, the young orangutan made his way back to his mum and clung to her back as she pulled branches to her, plucking off caterpillars and gradually swinging through the trees away from us.

What happens next to help orangutans?

There’s been progress over 20 years. People like you helped turn things around. Forest destruction has slowed by 80%. Logging has been pushed out of national parks.

Forests have been regenerated and protected. Orangutan numbers are even growing in places like Sebangau National Park.

However, their long-term future is still under threat. The Katingan Corridor – a vital stretch of forest linking key orangutan habitats – is being cleared for palm oil, mining, logging and rice farming.

It’s not legally protected. If we lose this corridor, orangutans will lose more habitat and be cut off from each other. They won’t have the space they need to move, thrive and breed.

As Threatened Species Manager at WWF-Australia, I am acutely aware of how close we are to losing them if we fail to act.

For me, this work is more than just a job – it’s a commitment to ensuring that future generations inherit a world where orangutans still swing through the trees.

Let’s work together to ensure a brighter future for orangutans, people and the natural environment in Borneo.

How will my donation help orangutans?

As Australians, we might feel removed from this reality. But this is a pivotal moment. And together we can build on 20 years of progress and secure a safe future for orangutans.

Looking for a charity to support this Christmas? Give the best gift of all by donating or adopting an orangutan by 31 December.

Your donation today could help:

• Restore peatland and plant rainforest trees for orangutan families.
• Equip forest patrols with AI tools to stop illegal clearing.
• Build an eco-bridge so orangutans can cross safely between forests.
• Support long-term work to transform forest industries and protect orangutan habitat.

You’ll support sustainable livelihoods like ecotourism and community forestry – so people and orangutans can thrive together.

Without donor contributions, many of these programs would simply not be feasible.

Please donate by 31 December to help continue the great orangutan upswing. Your gift will help protect one of our closest relatives – and the forests they call home. Let’s give orangutans a bridge to survival. Donate to help orangutans this Christmas or adopt an orangutan (and receive a mother and baby orangutan plush – a heartfelt gift that’s perfect for a wildlife lover).