Target: Raja Juli Antoni, Minister of Forestry for Indonesia
Goal: Prevent deforestation and development in flood-prone areas that are home to endangered apes.
While the human toll of disasters like wildfires and floods is well-documented, less attention is given to the wildlife that quite literally have no defenses as their homes are burned or washed away. One tragic recent example involves the world’s rarest and perhaps most endangered great ape. During catastrophic floods that hit Indonesia in late 2025, Tapanuli orangutans lost nearly eight percent of their entire population — already standing at a precarious 800 – in just a few days’ time.
The deaths of dozens of the apes came at a time when conservationists had waged a years-long battle to keep the orangutans’ habitats safe from destructive mining and palm oil plantation projects. Deforestation, when combined with rapidly deteriorating climate change-induced environmental conditions in the region, is believed to be a major driver for the destructiveness and expansiveness of the floods. Government officials apparently agreed, as they temporarily halted private development in the impacted regions.
A wider-scale moratorium on development and a broadening of protected habitats could be the only remaining lifeline for a species that might otherwise be lost to history and human recklessness. Sign the petition below to join calls for these life-saving actions.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister Antoni,
The intense rainfall, mudslides, and floods that ravaged the North Sumatra province in November were a warning sign. Devastated communities are still recovering, and an entire species of Indonesia’s prized great apes suffered another catastrophic blow that claimed seven percent of their total population. Without urgent intervention, the Tapanuli orangutan could succumb to irreversible extinction.
The ceasing of Batang Toru private development is a start, but only a start to a much longer and more committed effort. Please work with expert conservationists to restore lowland forests, to expand protections of these vital habitats, and to enact a moratorium on all damaging development until this battered region has the opportunity to recover. Every mammal and every living being that calls Indonesia home deserves these safeguards.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Tim Laman
