March 2015 is “Say No To Palm Oil Month”

March 2015 is “Say No To Palm Oil Month”

Want to learn about “Conflict Palm Oil”?
http://www.ran.org/palm_oil

Want to do something about “Conflict Palm Oil”? March-September 2015
http://www.ran.org/palm_oil_action_leaders_summit

Image "Palm Oil Plantations Expansion vs High Conservation Value Forest" from: “Will Palm Obliterate Our Forests?” (12 minutes) from Journeyman Pictures 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW3jZFLVMxI

Palm Oil may become sustainable:
1) after the forests are gone;
2) after the Sumatran Tigers are extinct;
3) after the last orangutans are confined;
4) after the remaining white rhinos are in zoos;
5) after 5 million forest dwelling indigenous peoples are exiled to abject poverty and the classification of Internally Displaced People wears upon their lives, daily;
6) after the spatial landscape dynamics map regarding the flow of currency is developed;
7) after Venezuela, Africa, are colonized for plantations....

The Orangutan Land Trust's scientific advisory board estimates that some 3,000 orangutans are lost each year to habitat conversion and hunting. That's a huge loss, considering that the total number of orangutans remaining in the wild in Borneo may be no more than 45,000, and in Sumatra, 6,500. Of the more than 1,200 orangutans now being cared for in rescue centers, most were displaced by conversion of habitat for oil palms. "I often refer to illegal pet orangutans as 'refugees' from forests that no longer exist," says Ian Singleton, manager of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141009-orangutans-palm-oil-malaysia-indonesia-tigers-rhinos/

There were 60,600 Orangutans in the wild in September 2013:
http://www.alternet.org/environment/orangutans-may-go-extinct-just-so-consumers-can-save-few-pennies-junk-food-5-ways-you

The Palm industry's justification for plantation and plasma expansion turned recently to employment figures and economy, but who really benefits? Palm Oil has all but obliterated the rain forests of Malaysia and Indonesia.

This year (2015) already, 12,000 foreign workers are needed for the harvest in Sarawak of FFB (fresh fruit bunches) from the palm oil plantations. "There is little alternative but to seek hiring of foreign workers." SOPPOA – (The) Sarawak Oil Palm Plantation Owners Association expressed gratitude for Sarawak government’s plan to bring in 12,000 Bangladeshi workers for the state’s plantation sector.

In Sarawak, indigenous groups, now commonly referred to collectively as Dayak and Orang Ulu, account for 44 per cent of the state population of 2.2 million. The Dayak groups include the Iban, Melanau and Bidayuh while Orang Ulu groups include the Penan, Ukit, and Kenyah. Collectively, all the indigenous peoples in these three regions are referred to as Orang Asal.
“Certifying The Oil Palm Plantation Business And Protecting Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
Public Forum on Sustainable Palm Oil” presentation by Center for Orang Asli Concerns

The accelerated pace of the expansion of palm oil plantations is a phenomena of the last 15-20 years. In the time of one generation of newborn consumers, so to speak. Boycott Palm Oil Products, and teach your children.

101 East - The price of palm oil (23 minutes) Al Jazeera English 2010
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A01iDTNQ2rs

This is a seated interview in a plantation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with Greenpeace SE Asia, the Acting Secretary General of The RSPO, and Indonesia's Vice Minister For Trade. The first 8 minutes is a great pictorial of the historic campaign that brought pressure upon the market – the ads, the products, the companies, the destruction of rainforests, economic value, jobs numbers....

Lost In Palm (43 minutes) from the highly acclaimed Journeyman Pictures 2007
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58IELHXCym0

Palm Oil is in only 50 percent of the products on shelves. Boycott Palm Oil Products.

Under The Threat Of Extinction - Borneo's Orangutans could be extinct within in two decades. These three films depict the devastation, and the efforts of some of those caring, with great compassion for the Orangutans.

The Inspiring Woman Saving Borneo's Apes From Extinction Published Aug 28, 2007
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv8NlidN2wg

“The practice of bulldozing everything to make way for palm oil plantations has left Orangutans without their customary habitat. "Palm oil is totally destructive. They're cutting down every single tree", complains Lone Droescher-Nieslen (once a flight attendant and who now owns the Orangutan Survival Foundation). When the forests disappear, Orangutans cling to any stump in the cleared land, unable to understand their homes are gone. It's left to charities to rescue the apes before the plantation workers kill them. Lone hopes she can rehabilitate the Orangutans back into the wild. But if the rate of deforestation continues, there may soon be no forests to release them into.”

With forests vanishing to be replaced by palm oil fields, the Orangutans are being forced toward extinction. Produced by ABC Australia - Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

Borneo - Unmasking The truth: 38 minutes Published October 7, 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfgrVc0yiJo

A beautiful film by a man who has photographed the people, the forests, and the Orangutans of Borneo. “Borneo: Unmasking the Truth” attempts to expose the reality and corruption surrounding the deforestation. Using footage from various sources, the film reveals the harsh truth on the very real threat of extinction for many endangered species of animals and plants.

“Borneo is the third largest island in the world. This is an area extremely rich with biodiversity, with many endemic species of plants and animals. In just ten years, between 1994 and 2004, 361 new species were identified and described, with thousands more still unknown to man. Borneo is also the home of many famous endangered species such as orangutans, elephants and rhinos. Among relatively unknown endangered animals we can also find the clouded leopard, the sun bear and endemic Bornean gibbons. Borneo was once covered extensively with lush tropical rain forests (circa 1950) but the ever-increasing rate of deforestation in the last 50 years and especially the last 15 years has rapidly shrank the area of the ancient Borneo Rainforests.”

GREEN a film by Patrick Rouxel 48 minutes Published March 7, 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WNgoqBGw4Y

“Multi award winning. Set in Indonesia. Meet Green, an orangutan and victim of human impact. Follow the devastating journey as her home is destroyed by logging, clearing for palm oil plantations, and the choking haze of rainforest fires. Hauntingly poetic and without narration, the film creatively depicts the effects of consumerism on tropical rainforests as we are faced with our personal accountability in the loss of the world's treasures.”

Do visit his site and support his next project.
https://www.greenplanetfilms.org/product/green-a-film-by-patrick-rouxel/

Palm Oil is in 50 percent of products on shelves. Buy from the other 50 percent. Never forget.

Orangutans Need Rain Forests

“Return To The Cradle” 41 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO4r1STxZnA

This is a beautiful story of dedicated people who's lives are changed by witnessing the destructive nature of palm oil, and begin caring for populations of Orangutans.

On Penisular Malaysia in 2013, the “Last Rainforest Tree” was cut. Well, not THE LAST RAINFOREST TREE, but “Oil palm plantations have extinguished the last habitat of a rainforest tree in Malaysia.”

“Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), a state agency, announced that the last stands of keruing paya (Dipterocarpus coriaceus) in Peninsular Malaysia were wiped out when Bikam Forest Reserve in Perak was cleared for oil palm plantations. The plantations were established after Bikam was de-gazetted, or re-zoned from a logging concession for conversion to oil palm. More than 450 hectares of forest were cleared.”

Maketab Mohamed, president of the Malaysian Nature Society, stated "It is indeed a shocking find but this phenomenon did not happen overnight," he was quoted as saying. "The extinction was caused by the act of the state which de-gazetted forest reserves for oil palm plantations over a long period of time."
http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0730-keruing-paya-extinction-palm-oil.html

Some might say that there are no Orangutans on Peninsular Malaysia; and they would be correct. But there are Indigenous People, the Orang Asli.

The Story Of The Orang Asli

The Orang Asli are the indigenous minority peoples of Peninsular Malaysia. “Land dispossesion remains a persistent issue facing the Orang Asli. There are numerous instances when Orang Asli had to give up their lands, or had the lands taken from them. For instance, the Orang Asli community at the 6th mile Cameron Highlands Road planted rubber and fruit trees in their traditional lands in 1974. In 1979, neighboring villagers applied for part of the Orang Asli land, and were successful. When the Orang Asli protested, they were told by the Assistant District Officer to move out because the area was now 'Malay Reserve Land' and that they were staying there illegally.”
http://magickriver.net/oa.htm

“In another case, in Bidor, part of the land of the Orang Asli has been taken over by a tin mining company. Then without notice nor consultation, a large portion of the remaining land was cleared by the authorities to make way for a government (Felcra) agricultural development project. Many fruit trees belonging to the Orang Asli were destroyed, despite assurances by the JHEOA that it would not happen. And the Orang Asli were not assured of any kind of compensation. To make it worse, they were asked by the JHEOA to move to another area further inland.”

The MagicRiver document referenced above was published in 1997.

In 2008 “Living On The Periphery” was published.

“Living on the Periphery exposes the attitudes of the non-Orang Asli, their different world views, and especially their control of local resources. Even for people familiar with Malaysia, Nobuta's ethnographic account puts a spotlight on the jarring inequalities experienced by Orang Asli that otherwise are so easily overlooked.”

From the Center For Orang Asli Concerns “Living On The Periphery” (PDF 13MB 402 pgs)
http://www.coac.org.my/main.php?section=publications&article_id=47

For the Orang Asli, RSPO Certification means continued loss of lands and access.

Indonesia’s Rate Of Deforestation Doubled Under The 2011 Moratorium!

By Chris Lang, December 11, 2013 - A recently published study revealed that the Indonesian government has been telling lies about its rate of forest loss. “In the years 2011 and 2012, the rate doubled to about two million hectares per year, compared to previous years.” Video: Indonesia’s Rate Of Deforestation Has Doubled Under The Moratorium
http://climate-connections.org/2013/12/13/video-indonesias-rate-of-deforestation-has-doubled-under-the-moratorium/

In early 2013, WWF, the primary founder and key stakeholder in the RSPO, released a statement that RSPO certification can no longer be considered an adequate measure to ensure sustainability.
http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_statement_revised_rspo_principlescriteria_april_2013.pdf

The RSPO itself states that it does not rule out the destruction of rainforest land for new oil palm plantations. Only “high conservation value areas” (HCVAs) may not be cleared.

Rainforest Rescue is calling for the protection of all rainforest areas. The rainforests of Southeast Asia are home not only to orangutans, but to other endangered species such as proboscis monkeys and other primates, big cats such as tigers and clouded leopards, pygmy elephants, Sumatran rhinos, and many more. Many indigenous peoples and small farmers also rely on rainforests for their homes and livelihoods.

East Malaysia - SOPPOA states: “Wilmar’s policy is based on RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) benchmark with nine (9) other additional conditions which is driven by NGOs (non-governmental organizations). This is because the RSPO aimed to discriminate against oil palm in peat based on the assumption that peat has high carbon stock and allegedly release high carbon dioxide (GHG). These allegations and assumptions have yet to be scientifically proven”

SOPPOA gained membership of the Round Table On Sustainable Palm Oil back in 2008. Isn’t it time they were chucked out?"
http://www.sarawakreport.org/2014/01/sarawak-oil-palm-owners-show-true-colours-and-let-taibs-cat-out-of-the-bag/

March 2014 – Malaysia rejected a suggestion at the United Nations that the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Rights should be allowed to visit the country and evaluate the treatment of the Orang Ulu on Sarawak.
http://news2borneo.blogspot.com/2014/03/malaysia-rejects-indigenous-rights-at-un.html

This was one of many recommendations which Malaysia has rejected since its Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations in October. The UPR is a process which involves a review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. It provides an opportunity for all States to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries.

In an appalling response regarding the rights of Malaysia's indigenous communities, the Malaysian Government has rejected the following recommendations made by the Governments of Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, US and Switzerland.

Malaysia’s human rights commission SUHAKAM lambasted the Government throughout 2013 on count after count regarding it's conduct over native land rights. It concluded that the indigenous people of the region have been “forced to become Coolies in their own lands” by the actions of the Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA). In 2014, Malaysia continued to reject human rights conventions as a member of the UN.
http://www.sarawakreport.org/campaign/malaysia-rejects-indigenous-rights-at-the-un/

Since 2010 Malaysia has rejected any recommendations by the UN to set up an Indigenous Human Rights Advisory Board. In 2013, Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission’s report on Indigenous Rights was made public, thanks to a leak to Sarawak Report. One may also find links to the original document throughout the exclusive article on the leaked report and Suhakam, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.

“Forced To Become Coolies In Their Own Lands”
http://www.sarawakreport.org/2013/04/forced-to-become-coolies-in-their-own-lands-the-report-bn-has-been-trying-to-hide-exclusive/

One may also find links to the original document throughout the exclusive article on the leaked report and Suhakam, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.

BOYCOTTS WORK! Palm Industry, Exposes Hurt Feelings January, 2015

From the Malaysian Palm Industry: "Black campaigns against the palm oil industry have manifested into trade barriers and made it very challenging for traders to secure higher prices in the global market.”

“Palm oil exporters are denied equal opportunities to trade, while traders face oppression and discrimination in market access. Oil palm planting and palm oil exports provide developing nations a path out of poverty. Following the deadline of 13th December 2014, oil palm planters had expected the governments of France and Belgium to stop misleading and defamatory labels. "The oil palm is Malaysia’s economic security crop, which support some two million jobs and livelihoods along the sprawling value chain.” (491,000 jobs in December 2012 according to:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil_production_in_Malaysia)

Notice the use of the term 'Developing Nations'
Poverty Is More Than An Income

The Malaysia Human Development Report 2013 commissioned by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) says poverty is better measured against what households earn in general, rather than by a fixed minimum level. The report measures relative poverty, which sets the threshold at half the national median income, and finds the number of Malaysians in this category has been rising since 2007, with one in five households now considered relatively poor.

Malaysia boasts a $20 billion dollar a year palm oil industry.

The oil and natural gas rich State of Sabah (Malaysian Borneo) is considered Malaysia 'poorest' population area. Malaysia is a country that is being developed by national and foreign corporations. Malaysia is the SE Asia hub for oil and gas. It's offshore resources and leased tracts and rig platforms, serve Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia (Borneo). Much of Malaysia's oil and gas industry is located offshore of Sarawak and Sabah (Borneo) also known as East Malaysia.
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/02/23/18768957.php

Malaysia is not a 'developing nation'. It's poor people, the landscape, it's Indigenous peoples, have been exploited and the land stolen over several decades, with marked increase of conflict over land grabs in the last 15 years for palm plantations.

Don't believe the November 2014 private consulting firm (Catapult) 'Forest Heroes' campaign slogan that “75 percent of the world's palm oil is deforestation free.” The 'Forest Heroes' campaign by the private consulting firm Catapult, which brought us the Dunking Donuts' campaign, later joined the industry certification front group RSPO in proclaiming that “three quarters of the world's palm oil is now deforestation free.” Their campaign namesake, should not be confused with the original UN program 'Forest Hero', which began in “The Year Of The Forest” 2011.

Struggling For Clarity

On January 20, 2015, Rain Forest Action Network published “Pepsi-Co Needs A Time Out” a call for a continued boycott against Pepsi-Co. Pepsi-Co was one of the earliest (along with Cargill) to feel the brunt of boycotts and consumer concerns. Palm oil prices plummeted as did global market consumption. Pepsi-Co and Cargill were the first to negotiate a futuristic scenario for a 'sustainable palm oil supply chain' and gain global recognition for 'certification'. It's been how many years?
http://www.ran.org/pepsico_needs_a_time_out

The recent NPR story on All Things Considered about the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program and Doctor Ian Singleton, which was quite well done, made the claim that it is “illegal logging and land clearing for palm plantations” that threatens Orangutan habitat on Sumatra (Indonesia).

Not so, there are many forms of legal pathways to deforestation used by Indonesia to expand plantations: the Plasma expansion for existing palm plantations, (the Small Holders option), legal interpretations of the word 'forest', no-deforestation vs zero-deforestation and deforestation-free, and industry management options in the 'No Significant Differences Analysis Of High Carbon Stock Forest Types' for the overlap in HK3 and HK2 forest characteristics.

There's a deep abiding morality in a Boycott. I'm not waiting for some futuristic global transnational commitment to be verified... and you shouldn't either.

Besides, what good is Wilmar's no deforestation policy in Uganda? It's still Conflict Palm Oil.

Commit to a personal boycott of palm oil products.

“Deforestation-Free And Zero-Deforestation, Palm Oil's Carbon Footprint”
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/02/20/18768848.php
Published Friday Feb 20th, 2015

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View an entire 7 part series at my blog “The Retired Environmentalist”
http://retiredenvironmentalist.blogspot.com/

Tomas DiFiore