06/07/2008 (Scotland On Sunday) - THE endangered orangutan could become the first great ape to become extinct if urgent action is not taken to protect the species from human encroachment in its native South-East Asia.

The stark warning about the future of one of the world's most iconic animals emerged yesterday in a new study by American scientists, who said the number of orangutans in Indonesia and Malaysia had declined sharply since 2004, mostly because of illegADVERTISEMENTal logging, the expansion of palm oil plantations and hunting.

A survey by the Great Ape Trust in Iowa found the orangutan population on the Indonesian island of Sumatra has dropped nearly 14% over the past three years to 6,600. No giant apes were found in parts of Aceh province, which was hit by the Asian tsunami in 2004.

Orangutans are only found in Indonesia and Malaysia. The study – which appears in this month's peer-reviewed science journal Oryx – discovered that the population on Borneo fell by 10% to 49,600 apes.

The scientists said losses on Borneo were occurring at an "alarming rate", and the situation on Sumatra was a "rapid decline".

Great Ape Trust lead scientist Serge Wich said: "It's disappointing that there are still declines even though there have been quite a lot of conservation efforts over the past 30 years.

"Unless extraordinary efforts are made soon, it could become the first great ape species to go extinct."

Michelle Desilets, director of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK, praised the new study, saying: "What matters is that the rate of decline is increasing, and unless something is done, the wild orangutan is on a quick spiral towards extinction, whether in two years, five years or 10 years."

Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's top palm oil producers, have aggressively pushed to expand plantations amid a rising demand for biofuels, which are considered cleaner burning and cheaper than petrol.

Wich and his colleagues said there was room for "cautious optimism" that the orangutan could be saved.

They pointed out that, at a UN climate conference last year, the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, announced a major initiative to save the nation's orangutans, and the Aceh governor declared a moratorium on logging.

Furthermore, there are expectations that Indonesia will protect millions of hectares of forest as part of any UN climate pact that will go into effect in 2012. The deal is expected to include measures that will reward tropical countries such as Indonesia that halt deforestation.

"There are promising signs that there is a lot of political will, especially in Aceh, to protect the forest," said Wich, who also emphasised that much more needs to be done.

In their paper, the researchers recommended that law enforcement be boosted to help reduce the hunting of orangutans for food and trade. Environmental awareness at the local level must also be increased.

"It is essential that funding for environmental services reaches the local level and that there is strong law enforcement," the study says. "Developing a mechanism to ensure these occur is the challenge for the conservation of the orangutans."

Orangutans are a species of great ape known for their intelligence, long arms and reddish-brown hair. Their name derives from the Malay and Indonesian phrase orang hutan, meaning "man of the forest".

Earlier this year, naturalists were stunned to see pictures of orangutans – previously regarded as non-swimmers – swimming across a river to gain access to some of their favourite fruits at a conservation refuge on Kaja Island in Borneo.

They were equally surprised to see an orangutan pick up a tree branch and stun a fish before eating it and also spear fish with sticks after watching fishermen using rods.

The pictures were the first to show an orangutan using a tool for hunting, underlining that they are thought by some scientists to be second only to humans in intelligence.

TV wildlife presenter Terry Nutkins, who has observed the primates in the wild, said: "Orangutans are very special creatures. I've felt welcomed by them and felt they had a lot to say.

"They're highly intelligent – if they could speak in our language they would come up with some good ideas.

"Unless we human beings understand that greed is going to kill off our wildlife, if people continue to log and continue to destroy their habitat, they won't stand a chance, and that would be very sad."