The orangutan's natural habitat on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo has become fragmented or has disappeared altogether photo: WWF-Canon / Peter Hofland

The rust-colored orangutan flatly refuses to come down from his nest high up in the trees. He's been sitting up there for more than an hour eating fruit, barely paying attention to his many adoring fans on the ground below. This particular Borneo orangutan is used to visitors at his home in the recently protected Sebangau National Park, located in the southern part of the Indonesian island of Borneo. His movements are also being watched meticulously by researchers studying this ape species -- whose forest habitat is being destroyed at a rapid rate throughout Southeast Asia -- to see what effect deforestation is having on its population

Miriam van Gool, of WWF-Netherlands, has been involved with the orangutan project in Sebangau from the start. The first time she visited the area, about three years ago, the situation was dire: Boats were towing rafts of illegally-felled logs on the Sebangau River and there were endless stacks of logs lay awaiting transport.

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"The region is sick but not dead yet," explains van Gool. "Sebangau and the neighboring region of Mawas have extremely important peat bog forests and orangutan populations. A great deal of them can still be saved."

There are about 10,000 orangutans living between Sebangau and Mawas, about one-fifth of the world's orangutan population. Thanks to the work of van Gool and others, Sebangau was declared a national park last October in a last ditch effort to save the forests and their inhabitants.

The current deforestation rate of more than 5,000 square miles per year -- an area slightly larger than the state of Connecticut -- is likely to rise due to pressure from the country's growing growing population and the needs of international markets.

"The consequences of this scale of deforestation will not only result in a major loss of species but also disrupt water supplies and reduce future economic opportunities, such as tourism, and subsistence for local communities," says Dr. Chris Elliott, Director of WWF's Global Forest Program.

All this is more than enough reason for organizations like WWF to get involved. Through the newly created 'Heart of Borneo' initiative -- a huge transboundary project to conserve one of the last remaining frontier forests -- WWF aims to help conserve 85,000 square miles of equatorial rainforest through a network of protected areas and sustainably-managed forests. This protection would not only benefit wildlife like orangutans, but also help alleviate poverty by increasing water and food security, and cultural survival for the people of Borneo.

"Borneo is undoubtedly one of the most important centers of biodiversity in the world," adds Dr. Mubariq Ahmad, Executive Director of WWF-Indonesia. "By acting now, we can ensure that the heart of Borneo remains a haven for both well-known and newly discovered species."

* Jikkie Jonkman is a press officer with WWF-Netherlands.