Sustainable harvesting of forests and conservation 

The World Wildlife Fund has found that some rainforest species, including Orangutans, can live unaffected alongside people who know how to sustainably harvest a forest. However, they cannot survive in forests devastated by the palm oil and paper pulp industries. WWF has worked with stakeholders in the palm oil industry to create the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO, 2019). The RSPO claims to certify palm oil that is produced around the world based on criteria including: fair treatment of workers, no clearing of primary or biologically important forests, decreased use of pesticides and fires, and more. However, a group of 15 NGOs cited by the Rainforest Action Network stated that the RSPO has not done its job to implement its Principles and Criteria, meaning that plantations certified by the RSPO practice many of the same methods as non-sustainable plantations (“Fifteen environmental NGOs demand that sustainable palm oil watchdog does its job - Rainforest Action Network,” 2018)

Bornean Orangutans will not be able to survive as a species into the future if their remaining habitat isn’t protected from human exploitation. Luckily, organizations including Orangutan Foundation International have purchased land containing undisturbed rainforest and are dedicated to protecting these pieces of land through the use of forest patrols (“Purchase and Protection – Official Orangutan Foundation International Site,” 2019). Other organizations that are committed to the conservation of the Bornean Orangutan include the Gunung Palung Orangutan Project, the Orangutan Conservancy, Orangutan Outreach, the Orangutan Information Centre, and many more (Orangutan SSP, 2020).