Assessing Deforestation in Borneo: Threat to Orangutans and Climate

1. Assessing Deforestation in Borneo: Threat to Orangutans and Climate Ms. Leslie Bolick Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas Dr. Nancy Briggs Supported by: SPOT Planet Action, USAID, ESRI Conservation Program, Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing, University of California at Davis Orangutan Foundation International

2. Issue: Endangered Orangutan Threatened by Habitat Loss Objective: map remaining habitat for population assessment • 50,000 orangutans remain in the wild • Deforestation main threat • Largely driven by palm oil development Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world “orangutans may be the first great ape to be driven to extinction” United Nations Environment Program 2007 www.orangutan.org

3. Deforestation impacts peatland carbon cycling through multiple pathways Issue: Tropical Peatland Destruction Threatens Climate Objective: assess deforestation, land cover change and carbon losses associated with palm oil development • 40 billion tons of carbon are stored in Indonesia’s peatlands • Burning and clearing have released unprecedented amounts of carbon into the atmosphere Peatland fires have contributed to Indonesia as the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide worldwide www.orangutan.org

4. Study Area: Tanjung Puting National ParkKalimantan, Indonesia • Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas began her research at Camp Leakey more than 35 years ago • Orangutan Foundation International works to conserve orangutans and forests in Tanjung Puting National Park Tanjung Puting houses nearly 5000 orangutans, one of the largest global populations critical for conservation www.orangutan.org

5. Results: Orangutan Habitat Mapand Population Assessment • Remote sensing interpretation based on field mapping • 20m SPOT4 (2005) • New mapping used in orangutan population assessment – nearly 5000 orangutans in Tanjung Puting Mixed dipterocarp forest Peat swamp forest www.orangutan.org

6. 2004 2005 2006 Results: Deforestation Assessment - Fires OFI fire-fighting team In 2006 16% of the park burned including more than 23,000 hectares of forest Ground-truthed fire boundaries were overlaid with habitat mapping to assess burn areas OFI tracks fire hotspots www.orangutan.org

7. Results: Deforestation Assessment – Palm Oil www.orangutan.org

8. Future with SPOT Planet Action:Park Encroachment and Land Cover Change Current Analysis: 2008 imagery shows that more than 3000 hectares of park have been converted to palm oil Upcoming Analysis: OFI will expand the landcover change analysis park-wide (1990, 1999, 2008) Expected Results 2009 • Improved habitat mapping and orangutan population estimates for Tanjung Puting National Park • New information about loss of habitat and peatlands since 1990 • Preliminary assessment of carbon losses and the potential impact on climate change www.orangutan.org

9. Supported by: SPOT Planet Action, USAID, ESRI Conservation Program, Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing, University of California at Davis Orangutan Foundation International