KOTA KINABALU: The government has shelved its proposed “orangutan diplomacy” plan to focus on conserving the endangered species within its own home, says Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
The Plantation and Commodities Minister said the conservation groups were against the idea of sending out orangutans for adoption to oil palm importing countries.
“We have decided to keep our orangutans in their own natural habitat,” he told reporters after launching the World Orangutan Day celebration organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan on Sunday (Aug 18).
He said many conservationists had advised against the orangutan diplomacy scheme, similar to China’s panda diplomacy, which he mooted on May 8.
“In my speech during the Biodiversity Forum 2024 in May, I proposed the idea of “orangutan diplomacy” as an initiative to address the negative perceptions of the Malaysian palm oil industry.
“The idea received widespread coverage from both local and international media. Various parties, including the NGOs and environmental activists, welcomed the proposal although there were some dissenting voices,” he said.
Johari said according to WWF Malaysia, a census conducted between May 2014 and March 2017 recorded about 10,000 to 15,000 of orangutans in Sabah and some 2,000 in Sarawak.
He said MPOGCF would be allocating RM1.23mil to Hutan, a community-based group formed to conserve threatened habitats and wildlife species while promoting sustainable management of natural ecosystems, to carry out another census between 2023 and 2025.
Johari revealed that under the orangutan conservation programme, all activities would take place in natural habitats.
“The orangutans will be free to move, forage and breed without disturbance from humans, agricultural activities or tourism.
“Through this programme, importers of Malaysian palm oil can choose to sponsor one or more orangutans. The funds will be used to implement various programmes including collaborating with the rangers and experts to monitor the presence, safety and condition of these wild animals,” he added.
Johari also commended Sawit Kinabalu, a Sabah state-owned company managing 67,000ha of palm oil plantations, saying that it had spent over RM10mil on conserving the 55 orangutan population in the 2,600ha Sungai Pin Conservation Area since 2003.
In his speech earlier, he said Malaysia is committed to maintaining its forest cover of 54% to enhance its biodiversity protection including safeguarding the orangutans.
He said the country has also been taking steps to ensure oil palm meets the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil standard certification, which was made mandatory for all producers, from major plantations and smallholders.
