Monday, March 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The problem with palm oil – Orang Utans on brink of extinction
Rescued orangutans find sanctuary
BBC Panorama documentary:http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8518000/8518752.stm
Chingo and Jojo are just two of the thousands of orangutans whose lives have been blighted by the destruction of the Indonesian rainforest. Panorama followed their journey from rescue to re-homing.
But what does the future hold for man's closest relative? Demand for palm oil found in many products sold in British supermarkets is feeding the industry that threatens to wipe out an entire species.
Benn: 'Power lies with shoppers'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_8518000/8518843.stm
Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told Panorama that it is up to consumers to send manufacturers a message about sourcing palm oil that does not threaten the endangered orangutan or contribute to destruction of the rainforest.
In January, Mr Benn announced that DEFRA will be undertaking the first research project of its kind to assess the UK's relationship with palm oil, including how much is consumed and where it is used most, including government procurement.
He said that working with business, the government will attempt to map the palm oil supply chain to the UK in a bid to help shift Britain's supply to sustainable sources.
Panorama: Dying for a Biscuit, BBC One, Monday 22 February, 2010, 8.30pm.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Palm oil controversy
Hiya again,
today I'm happy to forward a press release about the Observer Food Monthly award which this month went to Friends of the Earth and Ape Alliance for their palm oil campaign. Read on...
Press Release
Friends of the Earth and Ape Alliance's palm oil campaign wins Observer Food Monthly award
Mar 22
Friends of the Earth and Ape Alliance have won an Observer Food Monthly (OFM) Award for their campaign to help stop the trade in palm oil from driving the orang-utan towards extinction. The campaign was launched in 2005 in partnership with the Ape Alliance which includes Orangutan Foundation, Sumatran Orangutan Society and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.
Palm oil is found in one in ten products on the supermarket shelves including bread, crisps, margarine and cereals to lipstick and soap. The clearance of large tracts of rainforest in Malaysia and Indonesia for palm oil plantations is the primary cause of the orang-utan's decline.
[contd. at http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/friends_of_the_earth_and_a_22032007.html ]
Personally, I'd like to add that it is not only in South East Asia that virgin forests are threatened by clearcutting to plant oil palms (palma africana) or other cash crops to feed Western Europe's and North America's greedy cars and stomachs. In Colombia, thousands of people have already been 'cleared' off their lands or are being threatened with expulsion for exactly the same reason. See my blog in Spanish: http://ddhhencolombia.blogspot.com
