mongabay.com : Rhett A. Butler : September 23, 2010 Selectively
logged forests and timber plantations can serve as habitat for
orangutans, suggesting that populations of the endangered ape
may be more resilient than previously believed, reports research
published in the journal PlosONE. The study, conducted by a team
of researchers led by Erik Meijaard of Jakarta-based People and
Nature Consulting International, found roughly equivalent
population densities between natural forest areas and two pulp
and paper plantation concessions in East Kalimantan, Indonesian
Borneo. "This is important news for orangutan conservation
because this iconic species is highly endangered with extinction
in the wild," said Meijaard. "Their native habitat in Indonesia
and Malaysia has been much reduced in size and fragmented, and
hunting of these apes continues in many parts of their range."
The research found that Bornean orangutans use both secondary
forest and acacia plantations for feeding and nesting, although
the authors note