Palm Oil is the greatest threat to Orangutans. Vast areas of rain forest are cleared for Palm Oil plantations every day. Protecting the forests is critical to the Orangutans survival.
This issue affects all Australians as Palm Oil is in many of the products we consume on a daily basis.
What you can do
Here are some suggested actions you can take to help protect the orangutan's habitat.
* Write to your Federal Member of Parliament and demand that the Federal Government legislate to make Palm Oil labelling compulsory.
* Write to the Malaysian and Indonesian Embassies and ask what their Governments are doing to stop the establishment of Palm Oil plantations in Orangutan habitat.
* Write to any food supplier that lists VEGETABLE OIL as an ingredient and ask them if they use Palm Oil. If so what are they doing to ensure that it doesn't affect Orangutans habitat. Please send us copies of any replies that you receive.
In this section:
Read the following articles that expose many of the problems with palm oil.
In a word, economics, though deeper analysis of a proposal in Indonesia suggests that oil palm development might be a cover for something more lucrative-logging.
Recently much has been made about the conversion of Asia's biodiverse rainforests for oil-palm cultivation. Environmental organizations have warned that by eating foods that use palm oil as an ingredient, Western consumers are directly fueling the destruction of orangutan habitat and sensitive ecosystems.
Central Kalimantan - orangutans in crisis. Posted July, 2006. PDF. 102 KB.
The orang-utan is endangered because of habitat loss. Today the greatest threat to orang-utan habitat is the continued expansion of oil-palm plantations.
CRUEL OIL. Posted July , 2006.
How Palm Oil Harms Health,Rainforest & Wildlife
Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil. Posted July, 2006.
Working for the production and use of palm oil in a sustainable manner based on economic, social and environmental viability.
Worse than Fossil Fuel. Posted July, 2006
Between 1985 and 2000, the development of oil-palm plantations was responsible for an estimated 87 per cent of deforestation in Malaysia.
Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation Palm Oil Report Posted July, 2006. PDF. 2.1 MB
Save orangutans from extinction when you next shop - and put an end to the cruelty of palm oil.