Energy News  
Indonesian NGO backs villagers in fight against palm oil

The plantations are also hurting people whose traditional communities depend on the forests and the biodiversity they contain.
by Staff Writers
Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia (AFP) Jan 29, 2009
Deep in the forests of Indonesian Borneo, a small environmental group is using education and common sense to arm villagers against the devastating onslaught of palm plantations.

Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia (Yayorin) was founded in 1991 with the goal of saving Indonesia's endangered orangutans and other wildlife as well as the forests that those species need to survive.

Since then the spread of palm oil plantations into forests and peatlands on Sumatra and Borneo islands have helped make Indonesia the world's third-highest greenhouse gas emitter, thanks partly to the craze for "eco-friendly" biofuels.

They have also wiped out habitats of threatened species like orangutans and Bornean clouded leopards.

But the plantations are also hurting people whose traditional communities depend on the forests and the biodiversity they contain, and that is where Yayorin director and founder Togu Simorangkir sees hope for change.

"We think that above all the problem of deforestation is human," said the 32-year-old biologist in Pangkalan Bun village in the heart of Central Kalimantan province.

"That's why 80 percent of our programme focuses on education. It's not enough just to give the message 'stop cutting down trees'. You have to explain the consequences of deforestation in the short and long term."

Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil, which is used in a range of products including soap, cooking oil and biodiesel.

Vast tracts of forest have already disappeared under palm plantations and the government is encouraging more despite its stated commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions by preserving the carbon stored in jungles.

In 1990 there were 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres) of land under palm oil plantation in Indonesia, according to official figures. This year there are 7.6 million hectares.

"We've heard some terrible stories," said Daryatmo, the chief of Tumbang Tura village in Central Kalimantan.

"Our neighbours (who sold their forested land to palm planters) can't grow ratan anymore or harvest rubber. Fishing is impossible because the river is polluted," he said.

"These are our principal sources of income. What kind of legacy are we going to leave our grandchildren?"

Lured by immediate "wealth" in the form of a few thousands dollars in cash, people in forest-dependent communities often are not aware of the consequences of selling out to the palm planters, Simorangkir said.

"Last year a plantation company offered a village two billion rupiah (176,000 dollars) to exploit its land. Every family calculated that that would bring them 30 million (2,640 dollars) each," he said.

"The village authorities sought our advice and we told them the consequences for the environment in the medium term. Despite the bait, they concluded by refusing the project."

The NGO followed up by helping the villagers improve their subsistence-level agriculture techniques, he said.

With projects spread across several villages as well as plantations, companies, schools and government agencies, Simorangkir said he hoped Yayorin could help make a difference in the battle to save Indonesia's forests.

But will such initiatives be enough to save the "man of the forest," the orangutan?

There are currently an estimated 40,000 wild orangutans on Borneo but the United Nations estimates there could be fewer than 1,000 by 2023.

Palm oil companies have been clearing orangutan habitats on Borneo despite signing up to voluntary standards under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a talking shop for industry and environmental groups.

The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association, in rejecting a moratorium on new plantations proposed by Greenpeace last year, argued that the RSPO standards were enough to protect the species.

But the Centre for Orangutan Protection says orangutans living outside Central Kalimantan's conservation areas could be wiped out within three years. Of the roughly 20,000 individuals in Central Kalimantan province, close to 3,000 die every year, it says.

"Their future is in the north of the Central Kalimantan region, which at the present time is preserved. The belt of palm oil plantations must not extend to the north," said Stephen Brend of Orangutan Foundation International.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Bio Fuel Technology and Application News



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


N-Viro Fuel Technology Receives Alternative Energy Status From US EPA
Toledo OH (SPX) Jan 29, 2009
N-Viro International announces its renewable biofuel technology, N-Viro Fuel, has satisfied guidelines set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to qualify as an alternative energy source that may be utilized in commercial power generation.







  • Analysis: Mexico's Pemex production down
  • Analysis: Nabucco gets little more support
  • Analysis: Lower oil prices plague Nigeria
  • Geo-engineering 'useful' against climate change: study

  • Progress Energy Nuclear Plants Set Generation Record In 2008
  • Union Leader Urges The Government To Push Ahead With Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Fusion-Fission Hybrid Could Contribute To Carbon-Free Energy Future
  • Siemens gives up stake in Areva

  • Science In The Stratosphere
  • Americans Owe Five Months Of Their Lives To Cleaner Air
  • Does Global Warming Lead To A Change In Upper Atmospheric Transport
  • Greenhouse gas emissions study released

  • Tree Deaths Have Doubled Across The Western US
  • New Study Links Western Tree Mortality To Warming Temperatures, Water Stress
  • Wood worth more than money at Mexican market
  • Philippines orders South Korean firm to design hotel around trees

  • U.S. honey producers question imports
  • World must double food production by 2050: FAO chief
  • Sierra Leone mans defences against army worm invasion
  • Nile Delta Fishery Grows Dramatically

  • Development Center For Hybrid And Electric Vehicle Battery Systems
  • Toyota Eco-Friendly Dealerships Lead In Environmental Construction
  • Plan unveiled for electric car charging network in Denmark
  • Children, cell phones and traffic don't mix: study

  • New Turbines Can Cut Fuel Consumption For Business Jets
  • Air China expects to post 'significant loss' for 2008
  • Nations demand climate plan from air, maritime industries
  • Cathay defers completion of new cargo terminal due to downturn

  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space
  • Nuclear Power In Space

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement