The Orangutan Project

The Orangutan Project, also known as the Australian Orangutan Project, is an Australian nonprofit environmental organisation focused on the long-term survival of orangutans and the forests on which they depend. Founded in 1998 by Leif Cocks, the organisation works primarily through conservation programmes in Indonesia and, more broadly, across orangutan habitats in Borneo and Sumatra. Its work combines direct support for field projects with fundraising, public education, community engagement, scientific research and partnerships with local and international conservation groups. The organisation addresses several connected threats to orangutans, including habitat loss, forest fragmentation, illegal logging, wildlife crime and the difficulty of protecting isolated populations. Its supported activities include forest protection and regeneration, wildlife surveys, patrols intended to deter illegal logging, orangutan rescue and rehabilitation, release programmes, population monitoring and conservation education. Rather than operating solely as a field agency, The Orangutan Project funds and collaborates with organisations that have local expertise and established operations. Named partners and collaborating organisations have included the Centre for Orangutan Protection, Borneo Nature Foundation, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Orangutan Foundation UK, Orangutan Information Centre and Orang Utan Republik Foundation. It has also worked with the Sumatran Rescue Alliance and the Borneo Orangutan Rescue Alliance. The organisation’s funding model is based on public donations, community events, membership fees, symbolic adoptions of orphan orangutans and grants. Publicly documented grant support included Australian Government Regional Natural Heritage Program funding in the mid-2000s. Those grants supported orangutan protection units and illegal-logging deterrence in and around Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in Sumatra, later expanding to work involving Sumatran elephants and tigers. A separate grant supported wildlife surveys in Borneo, including work in the Ulu Segama reserve, to establish baseline information and inform forest management planning. The Orangutan Project is associated with Wildlife Conservation International, an Australian nonprofit environmental organisation with affiliates or chapters in Canada, the United States, the European Union and New Zealand. A structural transition in 2017 led to the establishment of Wildlife Conservation International Limited, which oversees The Orangutan Project and related conservation initiatives such as the International Elephant Project, Forests for People and the International Tiger Project. This structure places orangutan conservation within a wider programme addressing threatened species, forests and relationships between local communities and protected landscapes. Leif Cocks remains identified as the organisation’s chief executive and founder. He has worked in orangutan conservation for more than three decades, has written on orangutan welfare and conservation, and received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2020 for contributions to orangutan conservation. The organisation’s public identity is therefore closely associated with specialist conservation advocacy, field-project financing and practical support for partner-led protection and rehabilitation programmes. As of 30 June 2024, reference material reported that it had provided more than AUD 5.6 million in funding for wildlife conservation; the same material reported cumulative contributions of more than USD 25 million to orangutan conservation projects since inception, although the two figures reflect different currencies, scopes and time contexts.

The Orangutan Project was established in Australia in 1998 by Leif Cocks as a conservation organisation dedicated to orangutans and their forest habitats. From the outset, its purpose extended beyond public awareness: the organisation sought to direct financial and practical support toward field projects protecting orangutans in Indonesia and other parts of their range. Its work developed around the conservation needs of both Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, whose populations are affected by forest loss, fragmentation, illegal logging, wildlife trafficking and the isolation of remaining habitat. The organisation has generally operated through a partnership model. It supports its own projects and contributes to the work of local, regional and international conservation organisations. This approach allows projects to address several stages of conservation, including field patrols, forest protection, wildlife surveys, rescue, rehabilitation, release, ecological monitoring, habitat regeneration and community education. The Orangutan Project has been associated with the Sumatran Rescue Alliance and the Borneo Orangutan Rescue Alliance, and has identified organisations such as the Centre for Orangutan Protection, Borneo Nature Foundation, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Orangutan Foundation UK, Orangutan Information Centre and Orang Utan Republik Foundation among its partners or collaborators. A significant early area of work was the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park region in Sumatra. Australian Government Regional Natural Heritage Program support recorded for 2005 helped develop and implement orangutan protection units and activities to monitor and deter illegal logging. Further support recorded for 2006 expanded the conservation focus to include other threatened wildlife, including the Sumatran elephant and tiger. The organisation also received funding for wildlife surveys in Borneo, including the Ulu Segama reserve. These surveys were intended to establish baseline data and contribute to a forest management plan centred on orangutan populations. The project’s activities have been funded through public donations, community events, membership fees, symbolic adoptions of orphan orangutans and grants. This diversified model links public participation in Australia with conservation delivery in Southeast Asia. Adoption and membership programmes function as fundraising and engagement mechanisms rather than as commercial product lines. The organisation’s public-facing work has also included conservation education and advocacy intended to build support for habitat protection and the welfare of rescued orangutans. In 2017, the organisation underwent a structural transition associated with the establishment of Wildlife Conservation International Limited. The new structure placed The Orangutan Project alongside related initiatives, including the International Elephant Project, Forests for People and the International Tiger Project. Wildlife Conservation International is described as an Australian-registered nonprofit environmental organisation with affiliates or chapters in Canada, the United States, the European Union and New Zealand. The change broadened the institutional context of the project while retaining orangutan conservation as its defining focus. Leif Cocks has remained the organisation’s founder and chief executive. His work has included research and writing on orangutan welfare and conservation, and he received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2020. Reference material reports that, by 30 June 2024, The Orangutan Project had provided more than AUD 5.6 million in funding for wildlife conservation. It also reports cumulative contributions exceeding USD 25 million to orangutan conservation projects across Borneo and Sumatra since the organisation’s inception. These figures use different currencies and reporting scopes, so they should not be treated as a single consolidated financial series. The organisation remains an active conservation brand centred on fundraising, partnership-led fieldwork and protection of orangutans and their habitats.

• 2024

  Reported cumulative conservation funding

  [1]The Orangutan Projecten.wikipedia.org

  As of 30 June 2024, reference material reported more than AUD 5.6 million provided for wildlife conservation.

• 2020

  Leif Cocks receives the Medal of the Order of Australia

  [2]Founder of The Orangutan Project receives major Australian honorprnewswire.com

  Founder and chief executive Leif Cocks received the Australian honour for his contribution to orangutan conservation.

• 2017

  Structural transition within Wildlife Conservation International

  [1]The Orangutan Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Wildlife Conservation International Limited was established as an overseeing structure for The Orangutan Project and related conservation initiatives.

• 2007

  Borneo wildlife survey and forest-management work

  [1]The Orangutan Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Funding supported wildlife surveys in Borneo, including the Ulu Segama reserve, to establish baseline data and inform a forest management plan focused on orangutan populations.

• 2006

  Protection work expands to additional threatened species

  [1]The Orangutan Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Additional Regional Natural Heritage Program funding extended the protection effort to include species such as the Sumatran elephant and tiger.

• 2005

  Regional Natural Heritage Program support for Sumatran protection units

  [1]The Orangutan Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Australian Government funding supported the development and implementation of orangutan protection units in the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park region and efforts to monitor and deter illegal logging.

• 1998

  The organisation is established

  [1]The Orangutan Projecten.wikipedia.org

  Leif Cocks founded The Orangutan Project, also known as the Australian Orangutan Project, in Australia to support orangutan conservation and forest protection.

A specialist conservation nonprofit that combines Australian fundraising and public engagement with field-project support, habitat protection and partnerships across orangutan range countries.

• Conservation programme

  Orangutan rescue, rehabilitation and release support

  The organisation supports programmes that rescue orangutans affected by habitat loss, conflict or illegal wildlife activity, provide care and rehabilitation, and seek to return suitable animals to protected forest environments. Delivery is undertaken through partner organisations and field projects in orangutan range areas.

• Habitat conservation

  Forest protection and restoration

  This programme area funds protection of orangutan habitat in Borneo and Sumatra, including forest patrols, illegal-logging deterrence, habitat regeneration and planning intended to maintain or reconnect viable orangutan landscapes.

• Conservation research

  Wildlife research and monitoring

  The organisation supports wildlife surveys and population monitoring to establish baseline information about orangutans and other threatened species. Such work can inform forest management and help conservation partners assess the condition of fragmented populations.

• Fundraising and engagement

  Orangutan adoption and membership programmes

  Public-facing adoption and membership schemes provide supporters with a way to contribute to conservation funding and participate in the organisation’s wider education and advocacy work. These are symbolic support programmes rather than ownership or commercial animal-placement services.

• 2017

  Adoption of a broader Wildlife Conservation International structureStrategy

  Background

  The organisation’s orangutan work was part of a wider conservation portfolio addressing several threatened species, forests and community relationships.

  Action taken

  A structural transition led to the establishment of Wildlife Conservation International Limited to oversee The Orangutan Project and related initiatives.

  Aftermath

  The Orangutan Project continued as the orangutan-focused initiative within a broader Australian nonprofit conservation structure.

  Source

1. 1The Orangutan Projecten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Founder of The Orangutan Project receives major Australian honorprnewswire.com