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SANDAKAN: Companies that import palm oil from Malaysia will be able to adopt orang-utans but they will not be able to leave the country, the Plantations and Commodities Minister said, in a revised version of a conservation scheme announced earlier this year.

Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani also pledged to halt deforestation in Malaysia, saying 54pc of the country was forested and that the level would not fall below 50pc.

In May, the Minister put forward a plan to send orang-utans abroad as trading gifts in an effort to allay concerns about the impact on the animals’ habitat of palm oil production, which tends to involve clearing forest land.

The plan raised objections from conservation groups fearful for the welfare of the orang-utans that are critically endangered.

“The animals cannot leave their natural habitats. We have to keep them here. And then we will meet the countries or the buyers of our palm oil if they want to work together to ensure that these forests can be looked after and preserved forever,” Johari told a news conference after the World Orang-Utan Day celebration at the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre, here, on Sunday.

Conservation group WWF says the population of the orang-utan, whose name means “man of the forest” in Malay, is less than 105,000 on the island of Borneo.

The “orang-utan diplomacy” scheme was first made public in May after the European Union last year approved an import ban on commodities linked to deforestation.

Malaysia, the world’s second-largest producer of palm oil, which is used in anything from lipstick to pizza, described the law as discriminatory.

Johari

Johari said funds raised from companies that adopt orang-utans would be distributed to non-governmental organisations and the Sabah Government to monitor the forested areas where the primates live, and seek to monitor the animals’ safety and condition.

He did not give details on how much adoption would cost.

Marc Ancrenaz, scientific director of non-government organisation Hutan, said he hoped the plan could fund habitat conservation work, such as building corridors between fragmented forests that are too small to sustain viable wildlife populations.

Liew

Meanwhile, State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the Bornean orang-utan in Sabah is a critically endangered species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.

She said in the effort to conserve and protect the species, the Sabah Government has produced the Sabah Orang-utan Action Plan for 2020-2029 which outlines five main objectives, including stopping habitat loss and restoring orang-utan habitat across Sabah’s landscape and implementing monitoring and prediction of orang-utan population trends in Sabah.

“The Sabah Government is committed to implementing this action plan, in addition to implementing other related efforts such as recounting the orang-utan population throughout Sabah, which is currently being carried out by the Sabah Wildlife Department,” she said at the celebration.

Her speech text was delivered by the Ministry’s Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mary Isidore Malangking.

Meanwhile, efforts such as public awareness campaigns and continuous law enforcement have also proven to be effective.

“This can be seen when there are no more orang-utans kept as pets in Sabah and there are no cases of hunting or trafficking involving orang-utans in Sabah,” said Liew.

Regarding SORC which was opened in 1964, the number of visitors initially was around 50,000 people only a year, but it has now increased to 150,000 a year.

“This indirectly proves the effectiveness in providing in-depth exposure and knowledge to the public about the importance of orang-utan conservation and rehabilitation in Sabah,” she said.

She added that since the establishment of SORC, the Sabah Government through the Wildlife Department has also implemented translocation and rescue programmes for 371 orang-utans.

In addition, 805 orang-utans have undergone rehabilitation programmes, where 60 per cent of the number have been returned to the forest to continue their natural lives.

Evidently, she said, the efforts and commitment of the Wildlife Department and all stakeholders have succeeded in reducing threats to orang-utans because in 2024, only two orang-utan rescue operations were implemented.

She also expressed appreciation to all parties who have contributed to the success of orang-utan conservation efforts in Sabah.

The MPOGCF is an initiative introduced by the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities to support conservation efforts related to the palm oil industry, and reflects its commitment towards environmental conservation.

With various environmental conservation efforts carried out by MPOGCF, it is hoped that it will enhance the reputation of the palm oil industry to achieve global recognition for sustainable practices.

MPOGCF always observes critical areas related to green conservation in the oil palm industry for short, medium and long-term protection and management, as well as conservation of the country’s natural heritage.

It is also committed to showcasing to the world that the Malaysian palm oil industry is an environmentally responsible industry.

The funding provided is part of the effort to showcase the industry’s commitment to conserving nature and promoting green landscapes.

Meanwhile, the SORC’s main purpose of establishment was based on the 3M concept (Care, Train and Release), which is to rehabilitate orphaned orang-utans so that they can live independently in their natural habitat.

In 1988, the management of SORC was placed under the auspices of the Sabah Wildlife Department and SORC’s functions began to expand to visitor management, conservation education, animal welfare and translocation.

In 2014, in conjunction with the Golden Jubilee of SORC’s establishment, the Wildlife Department officially opened the Outdoor Nursery Building for visitors.