International Orangutan Day: Small Choices, Big Impact for Orangutans and Our Planet

Urgency plus optimism equals solutions. That powerful message from the Earthshot Prize reminds us that while the challenges facing our planet are significant, positive action can deliver real change.

At Orangutan Land Trust, our vision is clear: enabling sustainable solutions for the long-term survival of orangutans in the wild. On International Orangutan Day, it’s an opportunity to celebrate these remarkable great apes while recognising that protecting them also means protecting forests, tackling climate change, and supporting sustainable livelihoods.

The challenges facing orangutans

Orangutans are under increasing pressure from a range of threats. Deforestation, mining, and large-scale infrastructure projects, including hydroelectric dams, continue to reduce and fragment their habitat. As forests are opened up, human-wildlife conflict also becomes more common, placing both people and orangutans at greater risk.

Climate change is making these challenges even more severe. More frequent extreme weather events and flooding are damaging already fragile habitats. In North Sumatra, climate-driven floods in November 2025 killed 58 critically endangered Tapanuli orangutans, the world’s rarest and most endangered great ape, highlighting how environmental change is becoming a direct conservation threat.

Recent research also paints a sobering picture. Despite slower rates of forest loss in some areas, the Sumatran orangutan population has declined by nearly 20% over the past decade, while the Tapanuli orangutan remains perilously close to extinction. Wildfires, often intensified by prolonged dry conditions and degraded peatlands, add further pressure by destroying valuable forest habitat. With the El Niño effect returning this year, fears have been raised for increased fire activity in Borneo and Sumatra (the only islands where orangutans live).

Sustainable solutions are making a difference

While these challenges are urgent, there is every reason to be optimistic. Across Indonesia, conservation organisations, local communities, researchers, governments, and responsible businesses are working together to create lasting solutions.

Activities supported by Orangutan Land Trust include reforestation projects to restore degraded forests, and peatland restoration, including canal blocking and rewetting, which helps reduce fire risk, improve ecosystem health, and store significant amounts of carbon. These revived peatlands are vital habitat for species like the Bornean orangutan. Together, these efforts benefit wildlife, strengthen local communities, and contribute to climate change mitigation.

Innovation is also playing an important role. Citizen science programmes, developed with the guidance of Borneo Futures and implemented in collaboration with oil palm growers, are helping identify the presence of wildlife, including orangutans, within agricultural landscapes. This information supports better land management and demonstrates how conservation and sustainable agriculture can work hand in hand.

Creating wildlife corridors and safe havens through partnerships with communities and land users, including palm oil companies, is another important step. By connecting fragmented habitats, orangutans can move more safely through the landscape, increasing their chances of long-term survival.

The role of sustainable palm oil

Many people are surprised to learn that choosing certified sustainable palm oil is one of the simplest ways they can help protect orangutans.

When produced responsibly, sustainable palm oil helps reduce pressure on forests by encouraging better environmental practices, protecting high conservation value areas, and supporting continuous improvement across the supply chain. It also helps meet the growing global demand for vegetable oils using less land than many alternative crops, making it an important part of a more sustainable future.

Consumers can make a real difference by looking for the RSPO trademark on products, although not every company that uses certified sustainable palm oil displays the logo. Apps such as the WAZA PalmOil Scan app (available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore) can help you identify brands using certified sustainable palm oil. If one of your favourite products isn’t using sustainable palm oil, let the company know that you’d like them to. If they are, thank them and tell them that sustainability matters to you. Positive consumer feedback encourages companies to continue investing in responsible sourcing.

Every action counts

Supporting orangutan conservation doesn’t always require a large financial commitment. Donations to Orangutan Land Trust help fund the vital work of trusted local partners, including Conservation Action Network Borneo and Borneo Nature Foundation, who are protecting forests, restoring habitats, and safeguarding orangutans on the ground.

But even if donating isn’t possible, your everyday purchasing decisions still have power. By choosing products made with certified sustainable palm oil and encouraging businesses to source responsibly, you become part of the solution.

Together, we can create a future where orangutans thrive

International Orangutan Day reminds us that protecting orangutans is about more than saving a single species. It’s about conserving forests, supporting communities, tackling climate change, and creating a more sustainable future for everyone.

When consumers, businesses, conservation organisations, and governments work together, positive change is possible. Every restored forest, every protected habitat, and every sustainable purchasing decision brings us one step closer to a world where orangutans continue to thrive in the wild for generations to come.

This International Orangutan Day, take action. Choose certified sustainable palm oil, share why sustainability matters, support organisations protecting orangutans where you can, and inspire others to do the same. Together, our choices can help secure a brighter future for orangutans, people, and the planet.