The Tapanuli Orangutan: Between Conservation And Development

Six months ago, conservationists hailed the discovery of the Tapanuli orangutan in a rainforest in northern Sumatra in Indonesia. The species is only the eighth great ape living on Earth and researchers estimate there are only 800 individuals left. 

Now, environmentalists are sounding the alarm that a dam project could devastate their population. Sinohydro, a Chinese state-run company, is clearing away part of the species' habitat to build a large dam, which will split the orangutan population in two.

Conservationists accuse Indonesia of going against its own laws by approving the project because the ape is protected. The government, however, is eager to develop the area. This article delves into how, like many emerging economies, Jakarta is facing a development-environmental conundrum: what is the price of a species?