SANDAKAN – Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani has reversed his proposal to introduce “orangutan diplomacy” after receiving significant opposition from wildlife conservation groups around the world.
Over the past two months, he has gathered extensive feedback and, after careful consideration, has decided that orangutans should remain in their natural habitat in Borneo.
“I have received various feedback from non-government organisations worldwide. So, after discussing with activists, (I found that) it is actually true that we must keep the orangutan in its natural habitat.
“That is the best solution for us to ensure that orangutans will exist forever,” he said when met after launching the World Orangutan Day celebration organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation at the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre here today.
On May 8, Johari announced his intention to introduce orangutan diplomacy. Malaysia would offer orangutan as gifts to major palm oil-importers such as the European Union, India and China.
He said the plan was akin to the “panda diplomacy” created by China to demonstrate Malaysia’s unwavering commitment to biodiversity conservation, following global concerns about the environmental impact of agricultural commodities.
His proposal was met with immediate backlash from environmental groups, who argue that orangutans must remain in their natural habitat.
Johari countered that such criticisms are simply propaganda from countries that produce edible oils and are competing with palm oil-producing nations.
“There are claims that our palm oil is killing our orangutans or that they could not survive. However, they do not have facts to back this up,” he said.
The Bornean orangutan has been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2016.
The latest figure revealed that there are about 10,000 to 15,000 orangutans in Sabah, about 2,000 in Sarawak and about 80,000 in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
To get the latest figure, the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation has allocated RM1.23 million to a Sabah-based NGO, Hutan, to fund an orangutan population study from 2023 to 2025.
“The ministry wants to show the world that Malaysia is committed to conserving its forest and wildlife, including the orangutan,” he added.
Since the proposal to adopt orangutan diplomacy has been scrapped, Johari said that his ministry is now focussing on encouraging local palm oil industry players as well as foreign nations to actively participate in donating to the orangutan conservation efforts in Malaysia, particularly in the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.
Additionally, the ministry is taking a drastic approach to ensure that no more forests will be destroyed for oil palm plantations, saying that any oil palm fruits that are produced from forested land will be rejected by all channels, whether for local processing or exports.
Johari said Malaysia has been able to maintain its vision since 1992, which is to maintain its forest cover at 50%.
Today, Malaysia has 54% forest cover, and the ministry will ensure that no more forested land will be used for palm oil plantations.
“This is our commitment to the world. I told them (palm oil players) no more deforestation for oil palm.
“I think we have enough oil palm. We have 54% forest cover, and we want to keep it; we want to intensify our biodiversity (protection efforts), and we ensure that one of the animals that we protect seriously is the orangutan,” he said.
Other than that, the ministry is also stern in imposing the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil on all plantations, including smallholders.
He said all the responses from local industry players have been encouraging as they realise that there is no other way but to adapt to sustainability practices, given that Malaysia is exporting 80% of its palm oil. – August 18, 2024