Climate & Environment
Wildfires Threaten Key Orangutan Research Site in Borneo Amidst El Niño Conditions
Wildfires in Indonesia are endangering a vital research site for Bornean orangutans and are now approaching a renowned research camp, which houses one of the world's longest-running studies of wild apes. In recent days, fires have advanced to within 200 meters of Rangkong research station, a satellite of Cabang Panti research station. Cabang Panti is located approximately four miles north within Gunung Palung national park. Hundreds of Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), one of three critically endangered orangutan species, inhabit the immediate vicinity of these stations. More than 2,500 orangutans are estimated to live in the park, much of which is currently ablaze.
Professor Cheryl Knott, a biological anthropologist at Boston University who has directed scientific research on orangutans at Cabang Panti for 32 years, stated, “Orangutans are fleeing from these forests. It’s just horrible.” The fires are largely a result of intentional land clearing, a practice common on the island each year. However, an exceptionally strong El Niño, characterized by warming sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that disrupt global weather patterns, has exacerbated hot and dry conditions across Indonesia, causing fires to easily spread beyond control. In West Kalimantan province, some areas have experienced months with minimal to no rainfall.
Scientists at Cabang Panti have accumulated decades of data on wild orangutans and their life histories, tracking some individuals from birth through grandmotherhood. Research conducted at this site has established the orangutan reproduction cycle, revealing that these apes give birth only once every eight years, the longest cycle among mammals. Knott described the database as “unparalleled” due to its long-term and detailed nature. However, the ongoing fires threaten to disrupt these continuous observations. Scientists predict that, without intervention or substantial firebreaks, the fires will reach Cabang Panti within 20 days, given their current rate of movement.
Professor Andrew Marshall, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan who managed an orangutan research project at the site from 2000 to 2020, noted that Cabang Panti “protects what has been, until now, one of the only truly ecologically intact tracts of lowland tropical rainforest in Borneo.” He emphasized, “Without long-term, continuously collected field data, we cannot understand how tropical ecosystems are adapting to or suffering from global climate shifts.”
In an urgent effort to protect Rangkong research station, a team of over 40 individuals, primarily field assistants, staff, and local villagers, are working day and night to combat the encroaching fires. They recently constructed a firebreak and an improvised sprinkler system using a punctured hose line around the station to saturate the surrounding peat. Keeping the peat wet is crucial, as fires in peat swamps can smolder underground for months, even after surface flames are extinguished. Caitlin O’Connell, deputy director of the Gunung Palung orangutan conservation programme, stated, “The issue has surpassed any local organisation’s capacity. We need large-scale water bombing and skilled firefighters.”
Even if the research station is saved, its purpose may be undermined if the orangutans lose their habitat. Knott explained, “The orangutans need the forest. If all we have left is the building, what are we studying if the orangutans are all gone, and the food they have is all gone? They can’t survive without that forest.” As solitary animals, orangutans require extensive ranges and live at low population densities. Knott added, “You can’t just shove them all together in what remains of the forest.”
Those leading the on-the-ground fire response have already observed the impact on the apes. Wahyu Susanto, research director for Yayasan Palung, an Indonesian NGO dedicated to protecting Bornean orangutans, reported, “Five orangutans from our long-term study population were observed fleeing the fire, some only metres from the flames. These are individuals that we have followed and studied for years.” Indonesian meteorologists anticipate an intense fire season continuing through October, as climate forecasts indicate a strengthening El Niño. O’Connell remarked, “The hotspots are everywhere. I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say that what we thought couldn’t burn could actually completely disappear if we’re looking at these dry conditions going on for months.”