Orangu-gone

Nowhere to go, nowhere to live… habitat loss due to deforestation is the greatest threat facing orangutans today. It is sad that orangutans have to be displaced from their natural habitat because of human disturbance. This urgent environmental issue intensifies global warming and it is threatening species, not only is it harming the survival of orangutans but it is affecting us globally. Forests were not made to be demolished and we need to conserve them for future generations because before we know it, it will be too late to save our planet.

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Over the past 50 years, half the world’s original forest cover has been lost

It is devastating to see that we are losing forests, yet they have the potential to provide many benefits. It is not just the trees that go when we take away the forest. The entire ecosystem begins to fall apart, and the consequences for us are catastrophic for our future.

The consequences that follow…

• Reduced biodiversity
  Deforestation causes wildlife to decline. As the cover of forests decline, wildlife become deprived of habitat and they become more vulnerable to hunting. Deforestation poses a serious threat to the Earth’s biodiversity considering that about %80 of the world’s documented species can be found in tropical rainforests.
• Release of greenhouse gas emissions
  Deforestation is second to the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, contributing %15 of gas emissions.
• Disrupted water cycles
  Trees no longer evaporate ground water that causes the local climate to be drier as a result of deforestation.

…these consequences are irreversible losses of biodiversity. We can only prevent further impact that deforestation can cause.

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Forests provide habitats to diverse animal species

As we continue to deforest land, many animal species will be driven into extinction and orangutans are currently among the most endangered of them all.

An estimated 13 million hectares of forests were lost each year between 2000 and 2010

Many orangutans are left orphaned, unsafe, not secured and displaced from their natural habitat. If we are aware of the consequences that deforestation causes, why do we continue to increase the amount of land being reduced? We are destroying what our planet has offered us and the expansion of the palm oil industry is to be blamed. Human beings are heavily dependent on forests and the products that they have to provide, unaware of the unfortunate circumstances it causes to our orangutans.

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16,000 to as high as 65,000…

of orangutans are left in the wild. It estimated that there is a loss between 3,000 and 5,000 every year. Every year…
One life of a orangutang that is lost is enough, however to fathom about a 5,000 loss… I am absolutely speechless. This has to be stopped. We can no longer jeopardise the lives of orangutans and destroy the forests in which they inhabit. Greenpeace – an independent global campaigning organisation – is campaigning for zero deforestation by 2020. To achieve this goal, they attempt to change the practices of destructive industries, demand products that aren’t linked to forest destruction, and to work alongside communities to take action against forest destruction. Our forests are irreplaceable and they need to be protected.

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References: 

Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia 2012, Orangutan Threats, Borneo Orangutan Survival Australia, retrieved 26 April 2016, <http://www.orangutans.com.au/Orangutans-Survival-Information/Orangutan-Threats.aspx&gt;

World Wildlife Fund 2016, Deforestation, World Wildlife Fund, retrieved 26 April 2016, <http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation&gt;

Greenpeace 2015, Protecting forests, Greenpeace, retrieved 8 May 2016, <http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/forests/&gt;