Call for palm-oil labelling to save orangutans

Ministers from Australia and New Zealand will decide whether to introduce mandatory palm-oil labelling legislation. Palm-oil production has been linked to deforestation on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the island of Borneo, governed in parts by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The deforestation is believed to contribute to the deaths of around a thousand orangutans each year. The decision comes as the world's leading orangutan scientist has spoken with SBS about what she sees as the importance of compulsory labeling of palm oil in food products.

Call for palm-oil labelling to save orangutansCall for palm-oil labelling to save orangutans

Call for palm-oil labelling to save orangutans Source: SBS

The baby orangutans at this care centre in Borneo's central Kalimantan province are all orphans.

Some have been rescued from the pet trade, others found wandering alone in palm-oil plantations.

They are victims of deforestation as their tropical home is cleared for the growing palm-oil industry.

Dr Birute Galdikas knows about their plight more than anyone.

She is the world's leading orangutan scientist and has dedicated her life to studying and saving the red apes.

"When a palm-oil plantation is established, the orangutans that used to live there become refugees in their own land. They starve, they start raiding the young palm-oil plants, they destroy them, and, of course, the palm-oil managers, concessionaires, tend to kill them."

Dr Galdikas has been living with the orangutans since 1971.

There used to be hundreds of thousands in the wild, but, today, there are fewer than 50,000, and they are now listed as critically endangered.

Dr Galdikas blames the habitat destruction from palm-oil plantations for driving the animals closer to extinction.

"The establishment of palm-oil plantations throughout Borneo and Sumatra has meant the virtual extinction of wild orangutan populations. And I think that's enough, enough ethically, to stop people from using palm oil when there are so many other good oils available."

The word orangutan is derived from Malay and Indonesian words meaning "person of the forest."

It is a fitting name, considering humans and orangutans share 97 per cent of the same DNA.

Dr Galdikas says losing the world's orangutans would be like losing an element of humanity.

"They are our kin, our blood kin, and I think it would be a sadder and more lonely world if we allowed our blood kin to go extinct."

Palm oil is used in everything from chips and chocolate to soap and shampoo.

But consumers are usually oblivious because it is often listed under a different name.

Dr Galdikas has urged Australia to support mandatory labelling of palm oil in food products.

She says people should be able to make an informed choice about what they consume.

"Until you start looking at what products contain, you have no idea. I mean, I didn't, and I'm an orangutan activist. I had no idea."

Borneo locals are also playing a key role in preserving the forests.

Many locals work as rangers to help educate others about the importance of saving the forests.

Local conservationist Thomas Sari Wuwur says it can also benefit local tourism.

"By protecting the orangutan and the forest, more tourists come and then bring more money to the local people."

 

 

 


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3 min read

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By Abbie O'Brien



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