Palm Oil Plantations & The Destruction of Borneo
Malaysia
I had a dream of what to expect before my recent visit to Borneo and Malaysia. I pictured mile after mile of roads through virtually unbroken rain-forest, a land of wildlife, and magic.
Looking on the map it all seemed so far away, so full of wonder, remote even.
Top of my list was to visit the Sepilok Orangutan sanctuary, looking back now i can only wonder at my naivety, did it not occur to me to question why a sanctuary was needed in the first place? In my mind i imagined a vast area of forest in which one would view wild Orangutans.
We decided that to really make the most of this area of Borneo we must hire a car in Kota Kinabalu and drive to Sandakan, the town nearest to the Sepilok sanctuary. The early part of the drive climbing hill roads as we passed by Mount Kinabalu started off to be visually very exciting and promising as we drove through large swathes of virgin rain-forest. Unfortunately that joy was short lived as soon we drove for hours through scenes of destruction. For as far as the eye could see the Rain-forest was gone and in its place mile after mile of Palm Oil plantations. The pictures below give a pretty clear and depressing image of just how much of the landscape is now taken up by Palm Oil Plantations. This same picture is one repeated in Sarawak and mainland Malaysia. All of this makes a mockery of the visit Malaysia 2014 campaign which aims to promote Malaysia and Borneo as a tropical paradise. The sad truth, although it would once have been a spectacular tropical paradise that is all gone now to be replaced by Palm Oil plantations. We are all partly to blame due to our blind consumption of products containing Palm Oil. Another of the horrible ironies is the addition of Palm Oil to diesel in a cynical attempt to cut our reliance on fossil fuels and cut global warming. The irony, we rip out the very forests that we need to help maintain the health of our planet. It is estimated that 80% of virgin rain-forest in Borneo is now gone, but the clearance and logging continues. It is our responsibility to try and save the remaining 20% Part of achieving this is simple, check the ingredients in foodstuffs and do not purchase those containing Palm Oil. Write letters to your MP and MEP demanding and end to Palm Oil use in the EU, and finally sign the petitions available via the links at the bottom of this post.
It is no longer acceptable for us as consumers to claim, or desire, ignorance. The reality, we are now a globally connected community and with that comes responsibility to sustain and protect the environment of that community. Once these forests and wildlife habitats are gone that's it. Eco systems that have survived millennia are being eradicated and cannot be replaced. We as a global community must act, and act now.
Do we really want an Orangutan or Sun Bear to die because we want a bar of Aero, a tub of Ben and Jerrys ice cream, or a bar of Body Shop Soap, is our wildlife really worth so little? Well this is the sad reality what is happening on the ground.
It is no longer acceptable for us as consumers to claim, or desire, ignorance. The reality, we are now a globally connected community and with that comes responsibility to sustain and protect the environment of that community. Once these forests and wildlife habitats are gone that's it. Eco systems that have survived millennia are being eradicated and cannot be replaced. We as a global community must act, and act now.
Do we really want an Orangutan or Sun Bear to die because we want a bar of Aero, a tub of Ben and Jerrys ice cream, or a bar of Body Shop Soap, is our wildlife really worth so little? Well this is the sad reality what is happening on the ground.
In the meantime here is a ridiculously contradictory statement given to "The Borneo Post" in February 2014 by Sabah Wildlife Department director, Datuk Laurentius Ambu said the court decision proved that Sabah was firm in its efforts to conserve wildlife.
"I would like to dispel all views and accusations by many overseas NGOs that Sabah does not prosecute wildlife offenders," Ambu said.
Does Ambu not get that the biggest threat to wildlife, and wildlife conservation, is the continued erosion of wildlife habitat through ever increasing palm Oil Plantation and the ongoing clearance of Borneo's remaining rain forests. Stop striping out forests Mr Ambu that will show you are genuinely serious about protecting wildlife and habitat
In the meantime use this link to see just which well known products contain Palm oil
A few of the offenders;
Body Shop, Gillette, Aero, Cadbury, Maltesers, Whole Earth Organic peanut butter Aldi supermarkets many products, Warburtons bread, Roses chocolates, Quality Street, Ben&Jerrys ice cream and on and on. Always read the labesl in supermarkets and demand that all products that contain palm oil state on ingredients.
Below a series of shocking pictures showing the true extent of the devastation in #Borneo, taken during my recent trip. This is a side to #Borneo and #Malaysia the authorities would prefer you didn't see.
Palm Oil Plantations Borneo
Palm Plantations for as far as the eye can see.
This has to be one of the most depressing and shocking views in all of Borneo & Malaysia
Established Palm oil plantation
The depressing truth about Malaysia and Borneo
A scared hillside
Newly planted Palm
Rubbish strewn hard-standing used by trucks to load the Palm kernel for oil production
At one time this you would probably not have seen the mountains in the distance as it would have been obscured by dense rain-forest. Now all you see for as far as the eye can see is Palm Plantation
Indeed if you have seen the adds on TV for Visit Malaysia 2014 it promises a tropical paradise.The truth Malaysia and Borneo's wildlife and tropical rain-forest is contained in small and depressing sanctuaries.
Meanwhile visit this link and read how the Malaysian government would like to portray Malaysia, or should that be betray?
This is so clearly not a newly highlighted problem as this link to an article on the destruction caused in #Malaysia by #Palm Oil in the Telegraph UK demonstrates.
Telegraph newspaper article from 2011 on the destruction of #Rain-forests in #Malaysia click here to read
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