INFLUENCE OF FOREST COVER LOSS ON ORANG UTANS HABITAT 1. Introduction 1.1. Indonesian Forests Indonesia is included in the ten countries that have the highest biodiversity in the world, the so-called as ‘mega biodiversity countries’. Covering around 144 million hectares of its land area, tropical forest in Indonesia is ranked as the third largest tropical forest in the world after Brazil and Democratic Republic of Congo. Moreover, although its area only covers about 1.3% of the earth’s land surface, Indonesia has 10% of the world’s flowering plant species, 12% of the world’s mammal species, 16% of all reptile and amphibian species, 17% of the world’s bird species, and more than 25% of the world’s fish species (Wells, et al, 1999). Since most Indonesian people rely on trees and also plants to build houses, produce paper, make furniture, and other kinds of socio-economic activities, the pressures on the forests are increasing. Indonesian forests have suffered from social economic activities related to regional development and unsustainable practices by many sectors and actors (Departemen Kehutanan, 2003). Soemarwoto (2003) states that during the last twenty years, degradation of forest resources has emerged wider impacts on many aspects, namely: environmental, economic, institutional, social and political, as follows: xEnvironmental: the decrease of water absorption, the decrease of carbon sequestration, the decrease of biodiversity, global climate change, erosion; xEconomic: the decrease of plywood export, the decrease of government revenue, stagnancy of economic growth, dependence on other sectors; xSocial: the decrease of chance work in forestry field, the increase of poverty, local community conflicts, provoking wider forest encroachment; xPolitical: overlapping law and policy in forestry sector, as decentralisation system, low investment; xInstitutional: overlapping land authority among government sectors, overlapping law and policy in forestry and others. 1 INFLUENCE OF FOREST COVER LOSS ON ORANG UTANS HABITAT Based on the data of NFI from 1985 to 1997, Indonesia’s deforestation total was about 22.46 million hectares that means national deforestation achievement was 1.6 million ha per year. Other investigation (WWF, 2005) says that since 1997, Indonesia deforestation is about 2.1 million ha (an area about half of the size of the Netherlands). Uncontrolled logging and clearing are considered as the greatest direct threat, and it is estimated that more than two thirds of these activities are illegal (Departemen Kehutanan, 2003). One indication of that is the rehabilitation fund collected by the Ministry of Forestry since 1970, which was only around 800 million US$ (8 trillion rupiahs). On the other hand, fund needed to rehabilitate degraded forest was about 7.5 billion US$ (75 trillion rupiahs). It means that 6.7 billion US$ (67 trillion rupiahs), which should be collected from rehabilitation fund is lost (Departemen Kehutanan, 2003). According to Arief (2001), factors driving forest degradation are the weakness of centralistic system of forest management (top-down), failed implementation of decentralization policy as unclarities of authorities of Forestry Department (in Act No.41 of 1999) and Local Government (in Act No.22 of 1999; Act No 32 of 2004) on forest management, and also corruption practices. Meanwhile legal activity, like clearing areas for resettlement purpose is also considered to the decline of forest areas. Based on data from Ministry of Forestry (1998), since 1969 until 1998, 1,010,607.81 ha forest areas were allocated for transmigration area. 1.2. Kalimantan Forests Borneo, the third largest island in the world after Greenland and New Guinea, is divided amongst three nations: Brunei Darussalam (5,570 km2, 0.6% of the island); Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak, 197,000 km2, 26.7% of the island); and Kalimantan (539,460 km2, 72.6% of the island). Borneo is conservatively estimated to contain 15,000 plant species and may well have the highest plant diversity of any region on earth. Borneo has 6,000 endemic plant species that include 155 dipterocarp tree species-rainforest giants which produce valuable timber and aromatic oils and resins, and provide habitats and food for a vast range of plants and animals. Most plant species are found in forest habitats as mangrove, peat swamp, freshwater swamp forests, lowland dipterocarp forests, ironwood forests, and hill dipterocarp forests (WWF unpublished report, 2005). 2 INFLUENCE OF FOREST COVER LOSS ON ORANG UTANS HABITAT Figure 1: Kalimatan Rainforests Unfortunately, a high percentage of Borneo forests are severely threatened. In the mid 1980s Borneo’s forests still covered 71% of the island. This number dropped to a mere 54% by 2000 (Malingreau, 2003). In Kalimantan especially the situation is dire. While in 1985 nearly 40 million ha were still forested (75% of the total land mass), by 2002 thisnumber has decreased to less than 27 million ha, just over half of the land mass (Holmes, 2000). Like many tropical areas around the world, every year the natural forests of Kalimantan are being cleared for commercial uses, including timber, palm oil, timber, and pulp production (WWF Traffic Sea, 2005). In the last few decades forest fires have taken an immense toll on the remaining forest areas. The 1997 fires affected an area significantly larger than ever happened before (Departemen Kehutanan, 2003). 1.3. Orangutans and Habitat Fragmentation Issue Orang Utan (Pongo pygmaeus) is one of three great Apes in the world (besides Gorillas and Chimpanzee). There are two species of Orangutans: The Bornean Orang Utan, listed as endangered on IUCN Red List of threatened species, and the Sumatran Orang Utan that is classified as critically endangered, and is listed among the 25 most endangered primates in the world (Buckland, 2006). The Orang Utan is known to inhabit primary and secondary forest and is typically found in lowland dipterocarp, freshwater, and peat- swamp forests. They have also been encountered in hill forests up to an altitude of about 1,500 m (Davies and Payne (1982); Rijksen and Meijaard (in press)). Even without 3 INFLUENCE OF FOREST COVER LOSS ON ORANG UTANS HABITAT widespread habitat destruction, Orangutanpopulation is naturally vulnerable. This is due to low reproductive rates caused by slow progress towards sexual maturity (up to 12 years) and the long pregnancy intervals (typically 8 years) (Morrogh-Bernerd, 2003). Figure 2: Mother and Baby Orang Utan Figure 3: Male Orang Utan Orangutan is considered as a key stone species. A keystone species is one that affects the survival and abundance of many other species in its ecosystem. It is often an indicator of the biological richness of an ecosystem. The Orang Utan, in this case, serves as a keystone species and its presence is an excellent indicator of the relative biodiversity of Kalimantan forests. The Orang Utan also serves as the top level of different food webs. The Environmental Investigation Agency (1998) states that the biodiversity of plant and animal species are highest in the areas that Orang Utans inhabited. Since Orang Utans are frugivores and seed eaters, they help to maintain the diversity of the woody plants of the rainforest and the regeneration of forests by acting as dispersal agents (Meijard, 2001). Habitat requirements for Orang Utans consisting of lowland forest below 500 m asl (Payne, 1987; van Schaik and Azwar, 1995). Van Schaik et al. (1996a) states that Orang Utans are largely lowland animals, being rare above 1,000 m asl and virtually absent above 1,500 m asl. Orang Utans also prefer to live in coastal swamp area, river valleys, and floodplains (good habitat). Moreover, Djojosudharmo and van Schaik (1992) explain that Orang Utans prefer to use tree species with fruits containing soft-pulp (rather than dry or fibrious fruits). The availability of fruits is affected by some factors, namely 4 INFLUENCE OF FOREST COVER LOSS ON ORANG UTANS HABITAT altitude (fruit production in general declines with increasing altitude); habitat type (alluvial and floodplain habitats are more productive than upland habitats and contain high proportion of soft-pulp fruits (van Schaik and Mirmanto, 1985)); and soil type (fertile lands have much less acidic soils which produce large crops of soft-pulp fruits at relatively short intervals and are preferred by Orang Utans (van Schaik, 1996b).