To save Borneo's wildlife, coexistence with palm oil industry vital: Experts

Drifting down Sungai Pin in Sabah by boat, Borneo's majestic forests come alive with southern pig-tailed macaques frolicking along the riverbanks and proboscis monkeys lounging in the treetops.

However, the spellbinding view is broken by the sight of rope bridges connecting the forest canopy from one side of the river to the other.

At first glance, the bridges appear to be part of an obstacle course for thrill seekers.

However, these carefully crafted canopy bridges are not for people’s enjoyment. Instead, they are meant to help the orangutan and other wildlife traverse the waterways safely and reconnect fragmented habitats.

“Orangutans cannot survive in areas devoid of diverse native species. Unfortunately, current forest landscapes are fragmented,” OrangJuga Project director Felicity Oram told Malaysiakini.

“Our Human-Orangutan Coexistence Project has discovered that orangutans are working hard to maintain functional connections within their communities, which are necessary for their survival in fragmented landscapes,” she added.

Such a scenario makes wildlife bridges as found along Sungai Pin - a tributary of Sungai Kinabatangan - important lifelines for the Bornean orangutan, which was declared critically endangered in 2016.

Oddly, the bridges that Malaysiakini saw on a recent trip to Sabah were set up in collaboration with an entity linked to what many deem to be the orangutans’ mortal enemy - the palm oil industry.

While seemingly oxymoronic, experts say efforts by groups such as the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) are becoming vital in the conservation of wildlife such as the orangutan.

For Oram, her team’s research highlights the potential of "stepping stones" - forested patches within oil palm plantations that can serve as vital connectors for migratory orangutans.

“Our work has shown that conserving the remaining orangutan populations in East Malaysia and Indonesia requires integrated cross-sector management across both protected and privately managed landscapes.

“This means oil palm growers, as dominant players in prime orangutan habitats, have a pivotal opportunity to contribute to conserving this critically endangered and fully protected species today,” she said.

Benefits other mammals too

It’s not just orangutans who stand to benefit from such coexistence.

Another iconic mammal, the Borneo elephant—which was declared endangered this year—is also facing similar threats to its habitat.

Benoit Goossens, director of the Danau Girang Field Centre, said that satellite data showed that 62 percent of the home ranges of Borneo elephants in Sabah and Asian elephants in the peninsula now lie outside protected areas.

While protected areas remain essential, Goossens said they are no longer enough.

“Long-term survival of the species in the Sundaic region relies on human-elephant coexistence at the boundaries of protected areas. I can't really see another solution, unfortunately,” he said.

MPOGCF executive conservation officer Daniel Pramin said the group is funding and collaborating on various efforts to conserve the Borneo orangutan and elephant, as well as other wildlife.

MPOGCF executive conservation officer Daniel Pramin

This includes conducting population surveys using drones to track the animals and long-term tree-planting initiatives in Lahad Datu.

One of its key programmes is the Borneo Elephant Sanctuary (BES), a collaborative effort with the Sabah Wildlife Department.

Here, in the heart of the sanctuary, three young male elephants aged nine to 12 - Danum, Adun and Budak - were busy splashing each other in muddy shallow ponds, their trumpeting calls echoing through the lush greenery as they revelled in their safe haven.

Nearby, 31-year-old Gambaron was on a leisurely stroll, paying no heed to the feisty youths as he ripped up clumps of grass to munch on his walk.

The four are among seven elephants under the sanctuary’s care.

The older elephant under their care is Limba - which is almost 60 years old.

The sanctuary also has two younger elephants, aged two and one, respectively.

They were rescued as calves when their herd abandoned them - on separate occasions - at a nearby oil palm plantation.

Besides a place to live and play, the 25ha sanctuary also has an elephant clinic.

Over RM2m spent

Pramin said the MPOGCF spent RM2.7 million building new enclosures and the clinic.

MPOGCF is also working with two universities on elephant conservation efforts.

In addition, it is also working with Universiti Malaysia Sabah to do a population survey. Once completed in 2029, it will be used for a Sabah “Elephant Action Plan”.

MPOGCF is also collaborating with Universiti Putra Malaysia to evaluate the effectiveness of Napier grass from Taiwan as a food source for elephants.

“RM500,000 has been spent planting Napier grass along the wildlife corridor in Brumas, in collaboration with Sabah Softwood Berhad.

“UPM serves as the research lead, studying its suitability as a reference food for Borneo elephants and monitoring their movements,” he said.

Beyond these initiatives, Pramin also revealed that MPOGCF is working with Sawit Kinabalu Sdn Bhd on a forest diplomacy project.

“The concept of orangutan diplomacy involves local planters adopting orangutans living in Sungai Pin Conservation Area, home to at least 55 individuals.

“This is an in-situ programme, meaning the orangutans will remain in their natural habitat.

“Donations will support their conservation and fund the establishment of ranger teams recruited from local communities,” he explained.

A proposal has already been presented to Plantation and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, with plans for a soft launch next year.

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This story was partly supported by MPOCGF.

- Mkini