With the clearing of forests, baby Orangutans are marooned

Genetic considerations, too, come into play in the reintroduction process. Due to genetic variation between populations - there are three sub-species of Bornean orangutan, and the Sumatran form is an independent species - orangutans cannot be haphazardly reintroduced to the wild without knowledge of the individual’s origin. Careless reintroduction can also lead to conflict with resident orangutan populations.

Finally, and most critically, reintroduction to areas where people are present doesn't bode well for orangutans if the needs of locals are not met.

“For reintroduction it is equally important to create a safe political environment as it is a physical environment,” said Dellatore. “If a program is implemented from above with no care or attention given to the local community surrounding it, the project is likely doomed to fail.”

Unlike many Westerners, most rural people in Borneo and Sumatra don't see orangutans as peers worthy of protection; they view them as pests that compete for food by ransacking crops and destroying livelihoods. Addressing this conflict is key, and various groups are working to show local populations how to reduce crop losses due to orangutans by using techniques such as avoiding planting near forest fringes and draping nets over fruit trees. The groups also highlight the ecological importance of the forests that support orangutans, such as supplying clean water.

Perhaps the most promising solution to the decimation of orangutans and their habitat is the emerging concept of paying local communities and companies to preserve forests rather than clearing them. This concept, known as REDD - Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation - can make local populations partners, rather than enemies, of conservation. Many conservationists working in Indonesia are hopeful that this December’s climate talks in Copenhagen will establish a REDD mechanism enabling governments, conservation groups, and companies to pay billions of dollars to begin protecting remaining areas of tropical forest.

"Many of us speak about balancing social, environmental, and economic values, but really we are in most cases talking about economics, economics, economics," said The Nature Conservancy's Meijaard. "If that's the case, the demise of orangutans and other species is mostly due to the fact that no one is willing or able to pay the opportunity costs of development."

Two studies, published recently in the journal Conservation Letters, showed that robust forest carbon offsets generated by REDD could be competitive with other forms of land use, including oil palm.

Given the vastness of Kalimantan and Sumatra, it’s going to take more than land acquisition to slow the influx of orphaned orangutans into rehabilitation centres. Improved governance and rooting out corruption will be critical in improving the plight of orangutans and the well-being of local communities. The USAID-backed Orangutan Conservation Services Project is working to do just this, focusing initially on improving law enforcement and identifying gaps in environmental regulations.

Finally, it’s important not to give up on rehabilitation efforts, which generate public awareness of conservation issues - this ultimately translates into political pressure to create protected areas and enforce environmental laws. And there is the issue of animal welfare. Conservationists cannot abandon the 2,000 orangutans currently in the rehabilitation system. After all, baby orangutans now in captivity should be able to enjoy a future where they can dig with tools in forest logs, rather than in plastic pipes.