Wildfires in Kalimantan have affected about 60% of Bornean orangutan habitat, according to an analysis by environmental and wildlife campaign organisation Geopix.
Geopix said it detected 17,865 wildfire hotspots inside orangutan habitat areas between June 1 and August 28, 2026, using official government data.
The critically endangered Bornean orangutan is estimated to number about 57,350 individuals, with conservation groups warning that nearly 80% of its population has been lost in less than 50 years.
Conservationists have called for a fresh post-fire survey and an emergency action plan to assess damage, protect remaining habitats and prevent recurring fires.
Wildfires in Kalimantan have impacted about 60 per cent of Bornean orangutan habitat, according to an analysis by the environmental and wildlife campaign organisation Geopix.
The organisation released its report on September 3, 2026 assessing the impact of forest and land fires, known locally as karhutla, on orangutan habitat in Indonesian Borneo. Using official government data from June 1 to August 28, 2026, Geopix said it detected 17,865 wildfire hotspots inside orangutan habitat areas. It said most of the fires occurred directly within habitats used by the critically endangered Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, and its three subspecies: P p pygmaeus, P p wurmbii and P p morio.
The Bornean orangutan is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its current population is estimated at about 57,350 individuals.
Conservation groups say the species faces a severe risk of extinction. The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation says nearly 80 per cent of the population has been lost in less than 50 years, falling from an estimated 288,500 in 1973. According to Geopix, 22,744 hotspots were detected across Kalimantan during the study period. Of these, 17,865, or 78.5 per cent, were within orangutan habitat.
Indonesian media outlet Kompas reported that hotspot distribution appeared more extensive and denser in August 2026 than in June and July, with many fires occurring directly in orangutan habitat.
Geopix said its analysis showed that, of the total affected area of 42.8 million hectares between June and August, nearly 25.8 million hectares, or 60.2 per cent, were within orangutan habitat. The organisation said the situation was being worsened by the climate crisis and a strong El Niño event, which it said was likely to last until January 2027.
The fires exposed Bornean orangutan habitat to a very high level of risk. It said the impact went beyond the loss of forest cover, threatening food sources, nesting trees, habitat connectivity and the long-term survival of orangutan populations, Geopix said in a statement.
The organisation also carried out an orangutan vulnerability matrix analysis, comparing population size with hotspot intensity to identify conservation priorities by region. It identified Muller-Schwaner, Western Schwaner and Seruyan-Sampit as among the most critical areas, where small orangutan populations face high hotspot levels and require emergency fire response.
Belayan-Senyiur, Beratus and Sabangau were assessed as areas with relatively lower threats, where monitoring and restoration should be prioritised.
Rungan River, Katingan and Gunung Palung were identified as important population pockets that need stronger fire prevention and habitat protection.
Geopix said its highest-risk category was currently unoccupied, but warned that it represented a worst-case scenario if hotspots increased sharply in areas where remaining orangutan populations are concentrated.
Annisa Rahmawati, senior wildlife campaigner at Geopix, said the fires reflected a failure to prevent disaster. “We have all failed to mitigate this disaster; some may even still be ‘playing with fire’ through various efforts to weaken forest protection, causing the people and Indonesia’s iconic wildlife to lose their right to a healthy environment,” she said.
Rahmawati said there was an urgent need to extinguish the fires, protect what remains of orangutan habitat and reduce the direct impact on both orangutans and people.
She said long-delayed efforts to break the cycle of forest fires and protect Kalimantan’s remaining forest ecosystems must be accelerated to prevent similar large-scale fires in the future. Geopix has called for a comprehensive post-fire survey of Bornean orangutan habitats and populations to assess the actual damage.
It said the survey should examine population conditions, food availability, nesting areas and other major changes in orangutan habitat after the fires.
“The results must immediately become the basis for a ‘reset’ of the Bornean Orangutan PHVA,” the organisation said, referring to the Population and Habitat Viability Assessment. It said previous baseline conservation data may no longer be adequate after the scale of the fires.
Geopix has also urged the Indonesian government to prepare an Emergency Action Plan for saving Bornean orangutan populations and habitats. Rahmawati said such a plan should include population rescue and monitoring, habitat and corridor protection, prevention of recurring fires, law enforcement and ecosystem restoration.