Malaysia plans to offer orangutans to countries purchasing palm oil in its efforts to introduce what has been referred to as "orangutan diplomacy".
The southeast Asian country would offer the animals as trading gifts to alleviate concerns about the environmental effects of growing the commodity.
Malaysia is the second largest exporter of the oil, which is used in food and various daily used products such as cosmetics.
Plantations and Commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani likened the proposal to “panda diplomacy,” the term describing China leveraging pandas to improve international relations.
Pandas in Edinburgh Zoo were only recently returned to China following an over-decade-long agreement between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
Ghani wrote on X, formerly Twitter of Orangutan diplomacy: "This will prove to the global community that Malaysia is committed to biodiversity conservation.”
"Malaysia cannot take a defensive approach to the issue of palm oil. Instead we need to show the countries of the world that Malaysia is a sustainable oil palm producer and is committed to protecting forests and environmental sustainability."
The proposal follows the European Union agreeing to an import ban on commodities linked to deforestation. However, Malaysia has considered the ruling discriminatory and a “deliberate effort” to increase barriers to its palm oil sector.
The orangutan is critically endangered, with a current population of less than 105,000 on the Malaysian island of Borneo, according to conservation group WWF who raised concerns about how a roll out of the diplomacy plan could affect efforts to conserve existing ape populations.
"WWF supports in-situ conservation of wildlife, and would urge that trading partners are brought to Malaysia to support this initiative, as opposed to sending orangutans out of the country," a group spokesperson told news agency Reuters.
