What do tigers, elephants, rhinos, and great apes (including humans) have in common, besides all being mammals? Representatives of each animal type listed are severely threatened by the production of palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil may be one of the largest drivers of species loss on the planet, yet far too little attention has been given to the problem.
Palm oil is used in the production of 50% of the items you and I buy. With a statistic like that, it seems like palm oil is an essential part of our lives. It isn’t. Just thirty years ago, palm oil was nowhere near as prevalent in the products we buy as it is today. The change, like so many others in that time span, is the result of major companies finding ways to produce commodities far more cheaply and efficiently.
The production of palm oil is now a major part of the economy in many tropical countries. Malaysia and Indonesia are two of the primary producers and are converting millions of forest acres a year into oil palm plantations. Unfortunately, these forests happen to contain some of the highest species diversity on the planet.
Orangutan Captured On Oil Palm Plantation, courtesy of www.orangutan.org.ukI have always thought of Malaysia and Indonesia collectively as the forgotten hot spot for animals. People seem to forget that these nations contain two rhino
species, two elephant species, two tiger species, and two species of orangutan. All of these are on the verge of extinction due to poaching and habitat loss. Most remaining members of these species are confined to national parks; parks, in many cases, completely surrounded by oil palm plantations. Now, with no spaces left to develop, the plantations are beginning to penetrate the parks. Time is running out for some of the most iconic creatures on the planet. And for the native people too.
Oil Palm Plantation In MalaysiaMalaysia and Indonesia are blatantly ignoring indigenous people that inhabit their countries in the pursuit of profits. One tribe, the Penan, has filed over 100 land rights cases in the last few years in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The governments of these countries, bribed by multi-national palm oil companies, usually seek to pay off the native people for criminally-low amounts of money. If that doesn’t work, the indigenous groups are removed by force. Oftentimes, the problems do not stop there for the native tribes. Several oil palm plantations have recently come under fire for human rights abuses including the use of child labor and slavery. Indigenous people are the most common victims.
My blood is boiling as I think about this issue. I am motivated to act and, hopefully, you are too. Here is what you can do:
Raise Awareness!
- Many people are not familiar with the palm oil crisis. Make them familiar.
Make Your Voice Heard!
- Email, send letters, or call companies that are the worst perpetrators.
Shop Smarter!
- Buy sustainable products, shop locally, and read the ingredients of products you purchase. Try to avoid palm oil whenever possible!
Donate To Conservation Organizations!
- Organizations like the Orangutan Foundation International or Sumatran Tiger Trust are actively saving species. They could really use your help!
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Peter Kleinhenz hails from Ohio, where he majored in zoology and media production at Miami University. Currently, he is pursuing his masters of science in environmental education at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. In his free time, Peter enjoys nature photography, caving, and live music.
