Full Breakdown
Indonesia Wildfires Threaten Iconic Orangutan Research Site in Borneo
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Immediate Threat to Cabang Panti Research Station
Wildfires have surged within 200 metres of the Rangkong field station, a satellite outpost of the Cabang Panti research complex in Gunung Palung National Park, Borneo. The long-term study, which has tracked individual Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) for over three decades, could be overrun within roughly 20 days if firebreaks and water-saturation measures are not expanded.
Background: El Niño-Driven Drought and Land-Clearing Fires
Annual slash-and-burn clearing is routine on the island, but an unusually strong El Niño has produced months of extreme heat and near-zero rainfall in West Kalimantan. These conditions have allowed fires to escape control and spread across peatlands, which become highly flammable when dried.
Data & Statistics
- The park is home to more than 2,500 Bornean orangutans, all classified as critically endangered.
- Indonesia’s disaster agency (BNPB) recorded 28,680 ha burned in West Kalimantan, over half of the 48,889 ha burned across the six worst-hit provinces.
- Ketapang district logged the highest concentration of fire hotspots, with 3,715 detections out of 17,236 recorded across West Kalimantan through July 27.
- Health officials documented 36,196 cases of acute respiratory infection in South Kalimantan between July 12 and mid-August, coinciding with peak smoke exposure.
On-the-Ground Response
A team of more than 40 field assistants, staff and local villagers has been working around the clock to construct firebreaks and an improvised sprinkler system that wets surrounding peat. The effort exceeds the capacity of local organisations, prompting calls for aerial water drops and professional firefighting crews.
Official Statements & Responses
Caitlin O’Connell, deputy director of the Gunung Palung orangutan conservation programme, warned that “the issue has surpassed any local organisation’s capacity.”
Prof. Cheryl Knott, who has led research at Cabang Panti for 32 years, reiterated that “the orangutans need the forest.”
Wahyu Susanto, research director for Yayasan Palung, reported that five long-studied orangutans were observed fleeing the fire, some only metres from the flames.
Health Impacts on Communities and Wildlife
Thick smoke has driven severe respiratory distress in both humans and orangutans. Fine particulate matter penetrates to the alveoli, triggering systemic inflammation and increasing acute respiratory infections and pneumonia, especially among children, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Orangutans are fleeing from these forests. It’s just horrible,” — Prof. Cheryl Knott
- “The issue has surpassed any local organisation’s capacity,” — Caitlin O’Connell
- “Five orangutans from our long-term study population were observed fleeing the fire, some only metres from the flames,” — Wahyu Susanto
- “Some of this peatland was previously located in protected areas. Then, due to changes in spatial planning, some protected peatland was converted into cultivated peatland and given to concessions,” — Walhi’s Argitoe
What’s Next
Meteorologists forecast an intense fire season persisting through October as the El Niño strengthens. Conservation groups are urging the government to mobilize aerial water-bombing assets and to address land-use planning that has opened protected peatlands to agriculture. Without such interventions, the Cabang Panti research station and the surrounding orangutan populations remain at imminent risk.