JAKARTA - Last year's major floods and landslides in Sumatra also hit the Tapanuli orangutan population. The latest report says at least 58 individuals died, or more than 7 percent of the total population, which is estimated to be only around 800.
Kyodo News, quoted Thursday, June 11, reported that the disaster triggered by the cyclone killed at least 1,200 people and damaged about 300,000 houses. Environmental groups say the extent of the damage is related to the rate of deforestation, namely the felling or loss of forest cover, in Sumatra.
The Tapanuli orangutan only lives in the area around the Batang Toru Forest, North Sumatra. The death toll of 58 individuals came from a survey in the West Block of Batang Toru, an area that is the habitat of the majority of the species' population.
According to a report quoted by Kyodo News, the study has not covered the entire Batang Toru area. This means that the number of orangutans that died could be higher.
The report was compiled by Borneo Futures, World Weather Attribution, and Liverpool John Moores University. The researchers used satellite imagery to see the damage in the West Block of Batang Toru, then compared it with historical records of orangutan populations in the area.
The study said that climate change due to human activities is likely to increase the intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall around the Malacca Strait. This condition makes the habitat of the Tapanuli orangutan increasingly vulnerable.
The lead author of the study, Erik Meijaard of Borneo Futures, said heavy rain made the soil in primary forests very water-saturated. Primary forests are natural forests that have not been much disturbed by human activities. Too wet soil makes some hillsides collapse in a rapid landslide.
"If an orangutan is on a landslide track that is sliding at high speed, the chances of surviving are very small. This is a real concern," Meijaard said, quoted by Kyodo News.
According to Meijaard, such a loss is very serious for a species with a small population. Other pressures are still looming, ranging from habitat destruction to human-wildlife conflicts.
"This situation is increasingly urgent for the need for a coordinated species action plan and supported by adequate resources," he said.
Researcher Panut Hadisiswoyo asked the Indonesian government to work with environmental organizations and researchers to prevent further population decline.
"We can minimize hunting or catching, then the number can be stabilized," said Panut.
He also highlighted the poor use of land which contributed to the decline in the population of the Tapanuli orangutan.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
