Orangutan populations decrease, but palm oil is not the main cause. Hunting, wildlife trade and human-wildlife conflict are the main drivers for orang-utan loss.
Research has shown that Bornean orang-utan populations between 1999-2015 declined by 100,000 animals. The species is Critically Endangered under the criteria of the Red List of the IUCN, meaning that at least 80% of the total number has disappeared in 3 generation times, or 75 years for this species.
Protecting forest alone to save the orang-utan is insufficient. Successful orang-utan conservation needs landscape approaches addressing orang-utan extinction and habitat connectivity in effective partnerships with local communities, public and private sectors.