Palm oil cultivation affects Apes conservation

The unsustainable cultivation of palm oil in the Asian continent is affecting the survival of the great apes, a global wildlife body said on Wednesday.
The Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) said that the clearing of rainforests in tropical regions of Southeast Asia is reducing the natural habitats of the primates.
"We are concerned that if the present trend continues unabated it could result in the extinction of the some apes," GRASP Coordinator Doug Cress said during a media roundtable at the Unite Nations Environmental Assembly in Nairobi.
The great apes consist of the Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Bonobos and Orangutans.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has classified all great apes as endangered.
The wildlife expert predicted that by 2030 up to 99 percent of the great apes habitats in Asia will be used for human development. He said that oil palm cultivation has led to the fragmentation of the habitats of the apes.
Palm oil is one of the most commonly used commodities globally and is an ingredient in most of items in the supermarket shelves.
According to GRASP, the Asian continent could draw key lessons from the Africa's conservation of the primates.
"The mountain gorillas of east Africa are the only members of the great apes family that are increasing in number," he said.
The coordinator said that consumers should begin to demand for sustainable produced palm oil as part of plans to save the species.
Zoological Society of London Biodiversity Programme Manager Elizabeth Clarke said that there is need to balance needs of biodiversity with palm oil production.
There are about 60,000 orangutans in Asia.