By Oil palm growers are illegally cutting down rainforests inside the orangutan capital of the world, but complicit multinationals have nothing to say about it. Nice reminder of how empty corporate “zero deforestation” promises can be.
RAN’s latest satellite investigation found illegal oil palm plantations inside a protected area on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia that’s famous for its orangutans. This area, the Rawa Singkil Wildlife Reserve, locks away gigatons of carbon in its swampy peat forests.
Since 2014, RAN has documented illegal oil palm expansion in the reserve and its encompassing Leuser Ecosystem—a jewel in the crown of Sumatra’s last standing rainforests and home to the only coexisting rhinos, elephants, orangutans, and tigers in the wild.
Oil palm has felled over half of Sumatra’s rainforests in just a few decades as producers keep pace with global demand for consumer goods, including snack foods and cosmetics. But the vast and remote Leuser Ecosystem has resisted deforestation—until recently.
This deforestation is increasing at a rapid pace, even as “zero deforestation” pledges become the norm among the world’s biggest palm oil traders, consumer goods companies, and banks.
Oreo-maker Mondelēz and Top Ramen-maker Nissin Foods could make a significant dent in this illicit trade by simply enforcing their own zero deforestation policies.
If only they could be reached for comment.
