The Orangutan, the enchanting 'man of the forest', is facing extinction (within 20 years at the current rate) due to loss of habitat. Massive de-forestation of the Indonesian rain forests in order to plant palm plantations is the sole culprit of this and....IT'S 100% UNNECESSARY!!
This is a problem that we are all contributing to, knowingly or not. The growth of the palm oil industry is a phenomenon that has occurred only in the last 20 years or so. Palm oil is now found in many products ranging from soaps, lotions, makeup, all kinds of foods and now even biofuels. Due to this, we are in danger of being the last generation to know of the Orangutan in its natural habitat.
Palm oil is an edible oil that has been known for centuries. It is native to West Africa and has been grown worldwide at various times, including in the United States. The advantage of palm oil is that the plant it comes from has the highest yield of any plant used for oil. In other words, it's CHEAPER to produce than any other oil. It's also a lower quality oil. If it was a 'quality' oil, you would find it bottled and on your grocery shelf. Take a look. You'll find corn, canola, peanut, safflower, vegetable and olive oil but you won't find palm oil.
So what's wrong with palm oil? Nothing, except for the way that it's now being cultivated. Whole forests are being cleared for its production. It is not true that the native people are benefiting from this, either. They are, in fact, becoming indentured servants while the corporations are becoming obscenely rich off this stuff.
Sorry this is such a long post, but this is a problem that we are all part of and the solution must come from us. There is now a group that is touting 'sustainable' palm oil production (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil). According to both the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace, this group is nothing more than a public relations front for the corporations profiting from this trade.
What's nice about this group (RSPO) is that they are very open about the problem and all the issues within it. This is in an effort to convince the public that they are the 'good guys'. To that end, they have a handy-dandy list of companies that use 'sustainable' palm oil. Very revealing and everyone should take a look at it. It's almost certain that companies you buy from are on the list.
Here's a link for that....
http://www.cmzoo.org/docs/palmOilSho...-March2011.pdf
I'm including more links to help with understanding the scope and impact of palm oil on the Orangutan (and all the other animals within that habitat). Please take some time to acquaint yourself with this issue and to understand the dire need for action now. There's even a link about the RSPO so you may decide for yourself if they are the good guys they tout themselves to be or not.
Animals Evolved orangutans International Animal Rescue - News - Our team witnesses unspeakable cruelty towards orangutans in Borneo THE IMPACT OF OIL PALM IN BORNEO Palm Oil | Rainforest Action Network Palm Oil Crisis
For cheap palm oil, we are causing this...