The evolution of the orangutan has been more strongly influenced by humans than previously thought, suggests a new study.
A team of scientists has shed light on the development of critically endangered species and their discoveries offer new opportunities for orangutan conservation.
The orangutan, one of the closest relatives of humans, has become a symbol of the vulnerability of nature to human actions and an icon of rainforest conservation.
But the team argues that this view overlooks how humans, over the course of thousands of years, have shaped the orangutan of today.
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It has often been badumed that environmental factors such as fruit availability are primarily responsible for most of the characteristics of modern orangutans, such as the fact that they generally live at low densities and have a restricted geographical distribution.
But the study indicates that the orangutan that existed before modern humans and that arrived in Southeast Asia 70,000 years ago could be very different.
The co-author of the study, Professor Mike Bruford, of Cardiff University, said: "This research offers new hope as to how we can save the orangutan of extinction.
"Our studies show that orangutans have a long history of adapting their behavior to survive in different areas, even those that have been heavily impacted by humans.
This means that they can live in much more varied habitats than previously thought.
"There is a need for a multidimensional approach to conservation efforts that integrates human-dominated landscapes, reduces hunting and enhances habitat quality.
Orangutans were previously much more prevalent and abundant, with orang-utan teeth among the most common animal remains in deposits in China, Thailand and Vietnam.
They have withstood many environmental changes and may have lived in a wider range of environments than their modern counterparts.
Today, the orangutan is found only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
Studies of species living in highly anthropogenic habitats, such as oil palm plantations and forests, highlight that great apes can adapt to survive in these areas, at least in the short term.
It has always been badumed that orangutans were primarily arboreal, but photographic traps in the forest showed that they also walked a lot on the ground in some areas. The team requests that these results be applied to conservation efforts immediately.
Professor Bruford added: "While much effort has already been made to understand the endangered orang-utan, this latest study shows that much remains to be done to ensure that conservation strategies are as robust and extensive as possible.
"It is only then that we will have a chance to prevent this incredibly important animal from being annihilated.
The study, Orangutans Venture Out of the Rainforest and in the Anthropocene, is published in the scientific journal Science Advances.
