Forest loss, wildfires in Indonesia put orangutans at high extinction risk

Orangutan populations are at a higher risk of extinction amid soaring forest loss and raging wildfires across key habitats in Sumatra and Kalimantan, as the world struggles to keep up with the global target of halting biodiversity loss by 2030. In a joint report published on Oct 24, environmental groups Mighty Earth and Satya Bumi issued a “red code” warning for the Tapanuli orangutan, often considered world’s rarest great ape, which is facing a higher extinction risk. The species is endemic to the fragmented forests of the Batang Toru ecosystem in South Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra. But…