A

n international conference on orangutan protection ended Friday with a commitment from oil palm companies to not expand plantations into orangutan habitats.

But questions remain as representatives of only four companies — Wilmar International Limited, Sinarmas, PT Toba Pulp Lestari and PT Cipta Usaha Sejati — attended the first multi-stakeholders meeting that aimed to seek ways to protect the orangutans’ dwindling numbers.

A representative of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) also took part in the meeting. Gapki represents some 80 companies.

The palm oil companies also committed to not convert the intact forest for further expansion.

“The companies and Gapki are committed not to convert orangutan habitat in the next round of plantation expansion subject to independent and credible scientific assessment,” the declaration says.

The Indonesian Orangutan Forum (Forena), the organizer of the conference, will hand over the declaration to government.

The oil palm companies then called on activists and researchers to work together to provide input on how to tackle “smear campaigns” against Indonesia’s palm oil products, from foreign countries.

About 80 percent of orangutans currently held in the captivity came from land cleared by oil palm companies, and many of those homeless orangutans were sent to the centers by palm oil company staff.

“It is far better to send orangutans to rehabilitation centers than when the local people clear the land and leave the orangutans die,” Gapki spokesman Edi Suhardi said.

Indonesia is home to most of the world’s orangutan population, which reside only in Sumatra and Kalimantan provinces. There are currently hundreds of oil palm companies operating on the two islands.

An estimated 70 percent of orangutans live outside conservation areas including in production forests belonging to palm oil companies.

The meeting’s recommendation is not binding on companies that did not attend.

Primatologist and conservation manager of Wilmar, Melissa Tolley said the company had set aside 14,000 hectares out of total 120,000 hectares in Central Kalimantan as a conservation area.

“We are still conducting a census to gather data on the orangutans residing in our conservation area,” she told The Jakarta Post.

Tolley, who has worked for the company for nine months, said the management was committed to protecting orangutans and their habitat.

Environmental staff from the PT Toba Pulp Lestari, New Yearda Sirait said his company had also launched research with the Orangutan Conservation Service Program (OCSP) to count the orangutans in its concession area.

He said there had been no trace of any populations living inside the area, but the company was ready to protect them if any were found.

Toba Pulp owns 269,000 hectares of concessions, “43 percent of which has been allocated for conservation,” he said.

The companies attending the Bali conference also expressed the readiness to fund conservation programs for orangutans.

Mission director of USAID in Indonesia Walter North hailed the result of the conference, citing
it as a milestone in orangutan conservation.