Globally, the demand for palm oil is on the increase. Indonesia
is market leader in global palm oil production. Palm oil is used
for food, cosmetics and as biofuel. The rain forests are
destroyed to grow more oil palms. Palm oil plantations are
replacing four-fifths of the rain forest in Indonesia. Orangutans
are one of many victims of massive deforestation.
Orangutans, an entirely Asian species in the family of great
apes, roam Indonesian rain forests on the islands of Sumatra
and Borneo. During the past decade, orangutan populations in
the wild have decreased by approximately 50%. Human
activities, especially the unchecked burning of rain forests to
clear land for palm oil plantations, have resulted in a critical loss
of habitat, driving orangutans to the brink of extinction in
Indonesia.
Sandra Hoyn (b. 1976) is an independent photojournalist based in Hamburg, Germany. She studied photography at the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, graduating in 2005. She started working for magazines, NGOs and on her personal photo projects, focusing on social, environmental and human rights issues.
Awards 2017 she received the first prize of the Sony World Photography Awards in category daily life and POYi – Pictures of the Year International third place category portrait. In 2016 she received the Magnum Photography Award in category photojournalism, 2015 World Press Photo Award third prize, category nature singles.
