The survival of orangutans—Asia’s only great apes—is tightly bound to the fate of the tropical forests they inhabit. As these forests face ongoing threats from agricultural expansion, particularly for palm oil and timber plantations, the need for policies that promote sustainable agricultural practices becomes ever more urgent. Both governmental and non-governmental actors have recognized this, and have developed a constellation of solutions, including certification schemes like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), that aim to protect orangutan habitat while balancing the demands of economic development.
Government policies play a critical role in establishing the legal frameworks that guide land use, forest protection, and agricultural practices. In Indonesia and Malaysia, which harbor the largest populations of wild orangutans, several key initiatives support sustainability goals:
Moratoriums on New Concessions: The Indonesian government has enacted moratoriums on granting new permits for palm oil plantations and logging in primary forests and peatlands—critical habitats for orangutans.
Spatial Planning and Zoning: Both national and regional governments are using spatial planning tools to identify and protect High Conservation Value (HCV) and High Carbon Stock (HCS) areas, which often overlap with orangutan habitats.
Incentives and Support for Smallholders: Programs that support sustainable practices among smallholder farmers—who often lack the resources to independently implement sustainable practices—are increasingly part of public policy frameworks. These include training programs, access to certified markets, and financial incentives.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have pioneered and promoted voluntary certification schemes that encourage sustainability and responsible land stewardship. Two of the most impactful certifications for orangutan habitat are RSPO and FSC.
Established in 2004, the RSPO sets global standards for sustainable palm oil production. RSPO certification requires that producers:
Avoid clearing primary forests or areas of high biodiversity value
Protect rare, threatened, and endangered species, including orangutans
Conduct environmental and social impact assessments
Respect land rights of local and indigenous communities
RSPO-certified producers are required to implement best practices that reduce environmental harm and conserve biodiversity. While enforcement and compliance remain challenging in some areas, RSPO has provided a mechanism for market-driven change, pushing companies to adopt more sustainable practices under consumer and investor pressure.
As national alternatives to the RSPO, the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification schemes were introduced to align palm oil production with national regulations and sustainability commitments. Unlike the voluntary RSPO, ISPO and MSPO are mandatory for producers in their respective countries. Both aim to improve traceability, reduce deforestation, and protect wildlife habitats, including those of orangutans. However, critics have noted that ISPO and MSPO standards are generally less stringent and less transparent than RSPO, with limited requirements for protecting high conservation value areas and weaker enforcement mechanisms. Still, they represent important steps toward elevating baseline practices across entire industries, especially among smallholder producers who might find RSPO certification cost-prohibitive. Ongoing reforms to strengthen these schemes offer promise for broader habitat protection and biodiversity conservation.
The FSC certification applies to timber and non-timber forest products, ensuring that forests are managed in a way that preserves biodiversity, benefits local communities, and supports economic viability. For orangutans, FSC-certified concessions are significant because:
They prohibit logging in areas critical to endangered species
They maintain forest connectivity and reduce fragmentation
They require monitoring of wildlife populations and mitigation of human-wildlife conflict
By promoting reduced-impact logging and maintaining the ecological integrity of forest areas, FSC contributes to preserving viable habitat for orangutans in areas under timber production.
No single policy or certification can solve the crisis facing orangutans, but together, these government and NGO-led efforts form a crucial part of a multi-pronged approach. Habitat protection must be integrated with sustainable agriculture, law enforcement, community engagement, and long-term land-use planning.
Organizations like the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) work alongside government agencies and certification bodies to raise awareness, provide education, and promote sustainable livelihoods that reduce pressures on forests. Their efforts help ensure that sustainability is not just a policy on paper, but a practice embedded in communities and industries.
To accelerate progress, the following strategies are essential:
Stronger Monitoring and Transparency: Certification schemes must continue improving transparency, third-party audits, and stakeholder engagement.
Corporate Accountability: Consumer pressure should continue to push major buyers and manufacturers to commit to 100% certified supply chains.
Government-NGO Partnerships: Collaborative efforts can bridge gaps in capacity, funding, and enforcement.
Support for Local Communities: Policies must ensure that the benefits of sustainable agriculture are shared with those living closest to orangutan habitats.
Protecting orangutans requires more than setting aside national parks. It demands a rethinking of how we farm, extract, and consume resources. Certification schemes like RSPO and FSC offer viable paths toward reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture and forestry. When combined with robust government policies and the grassroots work of organizations like OURF, these tools help shape a future where sustainable development and wildlife conservation go hand in hand.
RSPO. (n.d.). Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil: About. https://rspo.org
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). (n.d.). FSC Principles and Criteria. https://fsc.org
Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry. (2021). Forest Moratorium and Spatial Planning Policy.
Orangutan Land Trust. (2020). Protecting Forests Through Certification.
Orang Utan Republik Foundation. (n.d.). Conservation Through Education. https://www.orangutanrepublik.org
World Wildlife Fund. (2022). Palm Oil and Forest Conservation. https://wwf.panda.org