The Orangutan Project

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The Orangutan Project (TOP) is a nonprofit group from Australia that protects orangutans and their forest homes, mainly in Indonesia. It started in 1998 and was founded by Leif Cocks, who is still the chief executive. TOP runs its own conservation projects with local partners and also supports other organizations working in the field.

TOP is a project of Wildlife Conservation International (WCI), a larger Australian environmental group with links to partners in Canada, the United States, the European Union, and New Zealand. It funds its work through donations, community events, memberships, orangutan “adoptions,” and grants. By 30 June 2024, TOP had funded wildlife conservation projects with more than AUD 5.6 million (about USD 3.7 million).

In 2005, with support from Australia’s Regional Natural Heritage Program (RNHP), TOP helped create orangutan protection units in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, Sumatra, and to monitor and deter illegal logging. In 2006, RNHP funding extended protection efforts to other species, such as the Sumatran elephant and tiger. TOP also received AUD 207,500 for wildlife surveys in Borneo, including the Ulu Segama area, to collect baseline data and develop a Forest Management Plan focused on orangutans.

Since its start, TOP has contributed more than USD 25 million (about AUD 37 million) to orangutan conservation projects across Borneo and Sumatra.

Leif Cocks, the founder, has over 30 years of experience in orangutan conservation. He holds a Master of Science from Curtin University and, in 2020, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his work. He has written papers and books on orangutans.

In 2017, TOP became part of Wildlife Conservation International Limited, which also oversees the International Elephant Project, Forests for People, and the International Tiger Project. TOP works with regional groups such as the Sumatran Rescue Alliance and the Borneo Orangutan Rescue Alliance. It partners with organizations including the Centre for Orangutan Protection, Borneo Nature Foundation, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Orangutan Foundation UK, Orangutan Information Centre, and Orang Utan Republik Foundation.