Orang-utans are a valuable asset to the eco-tourism industry
We understand that our forests and wildlife are precious natural treasures, but you might be surprised at how much they are worth for ecotourism. Lower Kinabatangan has been marketed as an ecotourism destination with wildlife viewing as the main ecotourism attraction. The area is home to a myriad of flora and fauna, such as proboscis monkeys, orang-utans and Bornean pygmy elephants. The forests of the Lower Kinabatangan are one of only two places on Earth where 10 primate species can be found together! 250 bird, 50 mammal, 20 reptile and 1056 plant species have been identified in this area. Because of these natural wonders, tourists from all over the world travel to Kinabatangan, generating large revenue for Sabah’s ecotourism industry.
According to Sabah Tourism Board, the total amount of receipts from visitors to Sabah was RM2.5 billion in 2005, while the estimated annual revenue generated from ecotourism in the Lower Kinabatangan is RM23,800,000. The calculation is based on the number of tourists visiting one of the Kinabatangan River’s tributaries, the Menanggul tributary at Kampung Sukau. This means that if all ecotourism hotspots in Lower Kinabatangan were to be included in this calculation, the sizeable figures below would increase significantly!

Forest valuation for tourism in the Lower Kinabatangan:
Total forest area used by tourist at Menanggul tributary = 1,876 hectares (ha)
Estimated number of tourists visiting Menanggul tributary = 34,000 pax per year
Estimated average tourist spending = RM700 per tourist
Estimated annual revenue from tourism = RM23,800,000

Value of forest for tourism:
(34,000 tourists X RM700) / 1,876 ha = RM12,686.60 per (ha)

Value of forested area for tourism in Kinabatangan:
RM12,686.60 X 115,074.21 ha = RM1,459,900,473

Value of orang-utans for tourism in the Lower Kinabatangan (34,000 tourists X RM700) / 61 orang-utans = RM293,327 per orang-utan.

This calculation is based on the total orang-utan count in Lot 4 of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary by the Kinabatangan Orang-utan Project in 2006.

Orang-utans spend 99% of their entire lives up in trees, eating and sleeping at a height of 2 storeys or more, high in the rainforest canopy, surviving mostly on leaves and fruits. (Sharma, 2008) They cannot survive without forests. We cannot afford to lose wildlife like orang-utans or their forest home. Without these key attractions, Kinabatangan’s ecotourism revenue would surely decline.

  
 

Orang-utans are amazing creatures but things are not so rosy in their world: deforestation, poaching and other irresponsible human activities are pushing them to the brink of extinction. We have to do something NOW to save their fast-dwindling numbers. Otherwise, by the time our grandchildren are born, there will no longer be any orang-utans left in the wild. Dr Jane Goodall, the famed primate expert, once said 'Only if we understand can we care, only if we care will be help, only if we help shall they be saved.' That's a pretty good place to start.

Did you know that orang-utans have been taught sign language?

Did you know what orang-utan’s fruit is? It could be the same as yours!

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