Bornean orangutan - Population & Distribution

Kalimantan has lost at least 39% of orangutan habitat within the species' range during 1992-2002

Previous Population and Distribution
A ten-year ongoing census of orangutans in the Sebangau Ecosystem recorded a 50% decline in numbers, from 12,000 individuals in 1995 to 6,000 in 2004. In Kutai National Park, perhaps only 10% of the area is still forested, and the orangutan population there was reduced from an estimated 4,000 in 1970 to 500 today.

Overall, analysis shows that Kalimantan (Indonesia) has lost at least 39% of its orangutan habitat within the orangutan's range over the 1992-2002 decade.

Current Population and Distribution (Expand the map)
The Bornean orangutan is found in Kalimantan, and Sarawak and Sabah (Malaysia); most individuals occur in Kalimantan, where extensive areas of forest still exist, especially along the east coast.

The subspecies Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus has been seriously affected by logging and hunting in its stronghold, Danau Sentarum, and a mere 1,500 individuals or so remain. Many swamps in the area are small, fragmented and are subject to hunting.

The largest population in Borneo is represented by Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii, especially in the large swamp areas of Central Kalimantan where at least 35,000 individuals are found. Major strongholds include Tanjung Puting, Sebangau and Arut-Belantikan, while an important population is found in Mawas, and a population further west in Gunung Palung. Elsewhere however, other once sizeable populations are disappearing fast.

The main stronghold of Pongo pygmaeus morio is the Berau/Gunung Gajah population, although remnants in what was once Kutai National Park may be worth protecting. New evidence suggests that P.p. morio has a strong presence in Sabah.

Densities and population sizes are in decline across the species range, and forest continues to be lost at a rapid rate.