VICTORY! Oil Palm Companies Pledge to Stay Out of Indonesian Rainforests
Palm oil companies operating in Indonesia have pledged to stop expanding plantations into rainforests [ark]. In late 2006 Ecological Internet was the first to launch a large international protest campaign on this matter -- bringing to the world's attention how oil palm plantations on carbon rich tropical rainforest peatlands were destroying biodiversity, global climate and orangutan habitat. Over 11,000 protestors from 114 countries sent one quarter of a million protest emails to the Indonesian government. On another occasion similar numbers brought the matter to the attention of every UN climate change national focal point. Others including Greenpeace later followed our lead [ark | search].
Together we -- including EI Earth Action Network members -- have achieved these pledges to keep oil palm out of rainforests, and this is a tremendous victory for rainforest and climate protection movement. Certainly more remains to be done. It is still questionable to use food for fuel. Indigenous and other local peoples may still lose their land to corporations. Already cleared peat soils that should be reflooded and restored to hold their carbon are likely to be developed. And the Indonesian government is notoriously fast and loose with promises to disarm environmental campaigns, and enforcement may well lag. Without continued monitoring, this pledge will be disregarded and oil palm will continue to expand even into protected areas [ark] and orangutan habitat [ark]. Yet what makes this victory so savory is that it is the companies buying the palm oil themselves that have made the pledge -- it will be hard for them to renege.
Ecological Internet brought Indonesian rainforest destruction for oil palm to the world and our key demand to keep production out of rainforests has been met. This makes four victories for our Earth Action Network in the past six months, six in the last year. From Papua New Guinea to Indonesia, the Congo to Australia, and all along the East Coast of the U.S., the message is being heard that ancient forest destruction and diminishment must end to maintain the world's biodiversity, ecosystems and climate. We are successful even though we are not afraid to confront difficult issues like FSC greenwash, and over-population and consumption. And realize action alerts are but one of the free services we supply; others including the only true green search engine, news tracking, biocentric blogging, exhaustive links and more.
No one takes an ecological science based and sufficient green message to the world like Ecological Internet. And this is why it is so important that you make a donation to support our efforts now. We must achieve our $70K goal to remain operational. No longer can we creak by with inadequate computer hardware and unpaid staff. This is the minimum we must raise to cover basic costs, even as we have commenced applying for foundation grants for more stable funding to consolidate and expand our efforts. But this takes time and we need continued support from our members to stay operational now. Please donate now and let's avoid service disruptions.
g.b.
Comments
if this news is as good as it sounds, i think it is "the" major hurdle in rainforest protection left on this planet. The three areas of concern are as always , the Congo, South east Asia, and Central and South America. De Silva in Brasil has pledges 1B (brazilian) to stop deforestation, and in the Congo some successes have been acheived, in the areas of sustainability, and parks formation. So it's looking pretty good. Add to these victories a distict possibility the United States will in the near future sign Kyoto, and make some cuts to greenhouse gasses (80percent by 2050), if Obama is too be trusted, and it looks like pretty good times ahead. Lets keep our fingers crossed!
Posted by: craig hart | May 14, 2008 2:38 PM
Indigenous Voices Demand Climate Justice
The Indypendent
In the massive half-moon shaped United Nations conference auditorium filled with hundreds of individuals robed in colorful traditional clothing, jewerly and ceremonial items, a young female’s voice echoes from the center of the room.
“We indigenous peoples are emphatic in stating that those primarily responsible for climate change are the governments and companies of the industrialized world,” said Edith Bastidas, executive director of the Centro de Cooperación al Indígena in Bolivia, during a day of testimonies April 22. “[They] are encouraging a production and consumption model that is destroying the biodiversity and natural resources of our Mother Earth.”
More than 2,500 delegates have gathered in New York from April 21 to May 2 for the Seventh Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to discuss not only how climate change is affecting indigenous populations from the Arctic to Oceania, but also to highlight that real solutions to the problem will come from these very communities. It is estimated that there are 300 to 500 million indigenous people living in 70 countries worldwide.
Posted by: The Indypendent | May 14, 2008 5:04 PM
I'm not sure that I'm convinced. Looks like smoke and mirrors to me.
Many have said - "if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is"
I hope you are well.
Steve
Posted by: Steve | May 14, 2008 9:44 PM
Yes, you are right. But in Indonesia's rainforest tragedy, even smoke and mirrors is progress. Because of pressure we have applied the oil palm industry has stated publicly they will not plant further in rainforests. Whether rhetoric or reality, they fact they have said this is positive and shows our impact. It is hard to sustain a movement if we never acknowledge progress while acknowledging we are still getting our asses kicked ;-)
Regards,
Glen
Posted by: Dr. Glen Barry | May 14, 2008 9:46 PM
Still something needs to be done about the considerable damage oil
palm nutrient fertilizer is doing to coral reefs in the famed coral
triangle?? i.e. Kimbe Bay Papua New Guinea.......... for example, also
Milne Bay and New Ireland Provinces
COTS outbreaks, coral deaths, inner shore reefs are dying and turning
into algae slime barrens with urchins and rubble.
So called marine biodiversity HOT SPOT, as if global warming bleaching
events and increased coral disease wasn't enough to face, along with
the threats from overfishing...cyanide and dynamite
fishing.............
Oil Palm plantations are spreading like wild fire through the PNG
islands. Not only environmental issues associated also health issues
to the slave labour force... the local people from toxic pesticides
and herbicides.
If there wasn't enough problems already from mining and logging.........
Posted by: Rach | May 15, 2008 2:42 PM
Seriously i don't think it is really going to happen. I'm just going to see if there is any smoke coming my way. (Living in Singapore)
Posted by: Seo Jin | May 23, 2008 9:02 AM
This does not seem to be such a big victory to me, since the statement says that "companies would focus on utilizing idle land, including former
forest concession areas". Former concession areas make up a huge part of Indonesia's forest area - almost all of it I imagine. So this is a way of saying they will still be cutting rainforest. Most rainforest in Indonesia has already been selectively logged, and it should be remembered that these logged areas still represent immensely rich ecosystems. And not that "Idle land" is a very loose term. Does it exclude forested land? I somehow doubt it....
Posted by: Frank Lambert | May 23, 2008 2:33 PM
I certainly respect skepticism regarding there being much good news in Indonesian rainforest protection. Yet short of full protection for all Indonesian ancient rainforests and all diminished forests allowed to regenerate, is there any progress that can be deemed a "victory"? After a sustained multi-year campaign, the oil palm industry has been pressured to announce they will no longer plant in rainforests. This probably means intact rainforests, and you are quite right that there are many diminished forests and idle lands still at threat. Hell, almost certainly this pledge will be widely violated (as made clear in the post). Yet, I have said this many times, I am not sure how to sustain a movement that will almost certainly prove inadequate without acknowledging interim success and strategic victory. The oil palm industry is on their back foot because of the good works of many. We have a commitment to hold them to in order to continue ratcheting up the pressure. I reckon the only chance we have is to slow down the destruction until major catastrophe leads to political urgency. This victory and other partial, wholly inadequate and perhaps sadly inconsequential good news in terms of the total trend for rainforest/climate crises does just that.
Regards,
Dr. Glen Barry
Posted by: Dr. Glen Barry | May 23, 2008 8:14 PM