Sumatra, Part 7: Omens and optimism for orangutans

<p>The Sumatran orangutan is a lowland species that has adapted to life among this Indonesian island’s highlands, as it has lost favored habitat to an array of forces like deforestation, road projects, plus the trafficking of young ones to be sold as pets, so this great ape is increasingly in trouble.</p> <p>On this episode, Mongabay speaks with the founding director of <strong>Orangutan Information Centre</strong> in North Sumatra, <strong>Panut Hadisiswoyo</strong>, about these challenges plus some hopeful signs.</p> <p>His center is successfully involving local communities in this work: over 2,400 hectares of rainforest have been replanted by local women since 2008, creating key habitat for the orangutans, which also provides the villagers with useful agroforestry crops, for instance.</p> <p>Related reading from this episode:</p> <ul> <li><a href= "https://news.mongabay.com/2021/01/karo-langkat-leuser-national-park-unesco-world-heritage-road-deforestation-encroachment/"> Deforestation spurred by road project creeps closer to Sumatra wildlife haven</a></li> <li><a href= "https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/tapanuli-orangutan-indonesia-sumatra-official-nikson-nababan-pet/"> Call for prosecution of Indonesian politician who kept baby orangutan as pet</a></li> <li><a href= "https://news.mongabay.com/2020/08/we-are-losing-qa-with-the-orangutan-projects-leif-cocks-on-saving-the-great-ape/"> ‘We are losing’: Q&A with The Orangutan Project’s Leif Cocks on saving the great ape</a></li> </ul> <p>Please invite your friends to subscribe to <em>Mongabay Explores</em> wherever they get podcasts. We also offer a <strong>free app</strong> <a href= "https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1524511006">in the Apple App Store</a> and <a href= "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mongabay.android.mongabay&hl=en_US"> in the Google Store</a> for our sister show, the <em>Mongabay Newscast,</em> providing instant access to our latest episodes and previous ones.</p> <p>If you enjoy our podcast content, please visit <a href= "http:/