World’s Rarest Ape Lives Near a Gold Mine. That’s a Problem
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A rare ape species may be paying the price for the global demand for gold. In northern Sumatra’s Batang Toru rainforest, new access roads are advancing toward the Tor Ulu Ala pit, part of Indonesia’s Martabe gold mine. According to conservation group Mighty Earth, one of the roads now comes within roughly 250 feet of a cluster of nests used by the Tapanuli orangutan—the world’s rarest ape.
The Tapanuli orangutan was identified as a distinct species only in 2017 and now numbers fewer than 800 individuals. All of them live within the fragile Batang Toru ecosystem, which is bordered on its southwestern edge by the Martabe mine, operational since 2012. As reported by Gloria Dickie in the Guardian, the growing footprint of the mine is increasing pressure on the species’ already limited habitat.
The mine is operated by PT Agincourt Resources, a subsidiary of UK-based conglomerate Jardine Matheson. The company estimates that at least 460,000 additional ounces of gold remain at Tor Ulu Ala, a reserve valued at nearly $2 billion at current prices. Company officials say the operation supports about 3,500 jobs, 70 percent of them local, and argue that the planned expansion would directly or indirectly affect only six to 12 orangutans. They also maintain that no orangutan deaths have been directly linked to mining activity and say mine revenues help fund a protected area 25 miles away as well as an orangutan research center.
Scientists and conservationists dispute those claims, warning that even small losses can have devastating consequences for a species with such a slow reproductive rate. Tapanuli orangutans reproduce only once every six to nine years, and researchers say that losing as little as 1 percent of the population annually could push the species toward extinction—particularly if breeding females are displaced or killed. Studies show that female orangutans are reluctant to leave their home ranges, making them vulnerable to starvation when forests are fragmented. Increased crowding in remaining habitat can also lead to stress and conflict.
“You cannot say that any great ape species is better with mining than without,” said primatologist Genevieve Campbell.
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