The number and distribution of orangutans has been greatly affected by the destruction of the great ape s forest habitat. In the last twelve years, Indonesia lost over forty-two million acres of tropical forest. During approximately the same time, the population of wild orangutans declined by an estimated thirty to fifty percent. Oil palm plantations are a primary cause of the conversion of Indonesia s natural forests to non-forest uses. In the 1990s, nearly 500,000 acres were planted with oil palm each year.
Oil palms produce a vegetable oil that is used for a myriad of food and non-food products.
Palm oil is set to replace soy oil as the world s most consumed edible oil by 2012. Indonesia is expected to take the lead in global palm oil production a decade from now. With an estimated output of 6.2 million tons in 1999, Indonesia currently ranks second after Malaysia as the world s largest palm oil producer. Indonesia already has over eight million acres of oil palm plantations, mainly located in Sumatra. Investors are focusing on expanding the palm oil production base in Indonesia, the cheapest palm oil producer worldwide.