Fire Devastates Orangutan Habitat in West Kalimantan Oil Palm Concession

A series of fires has scorched the 657‑hectare peat‑swamp forest that serves as a High Conservation Value area inside PT Kayung Agro Lestari (KAL) in West Kalimantan. The forest, home to roughly 60 Bornean orangutans, was the release site for four rescued individuals in October 2015. Satellite analysis by TheTreeMap shows that a major blaze began on August 8 along a canal at the edge of the plantation and spread westward into the HCV forest, leaving the habitat almost completely destroyed. Conservationists, including staff from Yayasan International Animal Rescue Indonesia (YIARI), are racing to rescue the remaining orangutans from the smoke‑laden, hot ground. The loss of this critical habitat threatens the long‑term survival of the local orangutan population and undermines the conservation gains made since the 2015 release.