Author Archives: Palm Oil Detectives

Indonesia’s misinformation army ready for war in 2023

In 2023, Indonesia’s government is set to ratchet up greenwashing and propaganda on social media, fuelled by a well-resourced misinformation machine.
But the biggest propagator of disinformation seems not to be political renegades, but the Widodo administration. Fuelled by a well-resourced propaganda machine, the government is ready to fight dirty to win over public opinion.

Story via 360Info.org.

Written by By Ika Idris, Monash University Indonesia, Laeeq Khan, Ohio University, and Nuurrianti Jalli, Northern State University in Tangerang. January 16 2023 for 360Info.org. Dr Ika Idris is an associate professor at Public Policy & Management, Monash University Indonesia. Her works focus on government communication, misinformation, and the internet’s impacts on society. Republished here with a Creative Commons Licence.

#Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

UN report says up to 850,000 animal viruses could be caught by humans, unless we protect nature

Human damage to biodiversity is leading us into a pandemic era. The virus that causes COVID-19, for example, is linked to similar viruses in bats, which may have been passed to humans via pangolins or another species.

African Dwarf Crocodile Osteolaemus tetraspis

African Dwarf #Crocodiles are timid #nocturnal animals and solitary hunters. They predate mainly on small animals in rivers or nearby to the riverbank. They are also known as the Broad-Snouted Crocodile or the Bony Crocodile are the smallest extant species of crocodile in the world and are typically around 1.5 metres in length. They face persecution by humans and other animals and spend most of their daylight hours resting in burrows they make along riverbanks in #WestAfrica and Central Africa. They are vulnerable from #timber #palmoil #soy #meat #deforestation and hunting. Help them survive and be #vegan, #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

Will palm oil watchdog RSPO rid itself of deforestation or continue to pretend its products are sustainable? – EIA

Palm oil produced through the destruction of forestland is still being sold around the world with the blessing of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

On November 30, 2022 EIA and along with 99 other organisations issued a joint statement calling time on the RSPO and its habitual greenwashing – the act of giving the public or investors misleading or false information about the environmental impacts of a company’s products and activities.

Humble Algae: The Solution to Palm Oil Ecocide

Consumers, businesses and researchers have shown growing interest in microalgae in recent years. Use of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina) as a food supplement is one example. Others include how microalgae can be used as crop support tools, bioplastics or biofuels. Take action for your health and be #vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

New Guinea Singing Dog Canis hallstromi

Thought for decades to be extinct in the wild, the New Guinea singing #dog populations hang on to survival in the remote mountains and forests of New Guinea. These #wilddogs were last spotted in 2017 near the Grasberg gold and copper mine in #WestPapua. Little known and still not well understood by researchers, they announce themselves with a haunting overlapping howling between individual dogs that is unlike other forms of canid howling.

Elusive and likely now critically endangered, #NewGuinea Singing Dogs are rapidly disappearing and have no formal protection or conservation in place. Help them survive and fight against #palmoil #deforestation in #WestPapua, #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

Butterfly Viper Bitis nasicornis

Although they possess one of the most potent venoms of all #snakes in #Africa, Butterfly Vipers are surprisingly placid and won’t attack unless provoked or threatened. They are known by several common names: Rhinoceros viper, River Jack, the Rhinoceros horned viper and the Horned puff adder. These remarkable serpents are appreciated for their vividly coloured markings that keep them camouflaged on the forest floor. Help them to survive when you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.

Palm Oil Free Christmas

Enjoy the festive season and be reassured that your #Christmas feast is not contributing to #palmoil related rainforest destruction, #humanrights abuses, #extinction and #slavery. Take the fight for animal rights and indigenous rights to your plate this Christmas. Learn how to fill your belly and enjoy yourself without destroying the earth for palm oil below. Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil: 19 years is enough

For nearly two decades now, the RSPO has failed in its mission to make the industrial palm oil sector “sustainable”. Instead, it has been used by the palm oil industry to greenwash environmental destruction, labour and human rights abuses and land grabbing.

Researchers find direct links between deforestation and reduced dietary quality

#Forests 🌳🌿🍃play a critical role in helping #indigenous communities who rely on wild #food to diversify their #diet and meet their nutritional needs. Resist in solidarity for them #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔🧐⛔️#Boycott4Wildlife

Bangka Slow Loris Nycticebus bancanus

Shy and elusive tiny #primates, Bangka Slow Lorises were last reported from the wild in 1937. If the Bangka Slow Loris is still alive then the burning of their habitat and conversion to agriculture (especially palm oil plantations) is their greatest threat.

These diminuitive and sweet-faced primates are critically endangered due to #palmoil #deforestation and the illegal pet trade. Just 20% of their rainforest remains on Bangka island, #Indonesia. Help them every time you shop, be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

Fishing Cat Prionailurus viverrinus

Although they look cute and cuddly, the Fishing #Cat Prionailurus viverrinus has a feisty, firecracker temper. This small to medium sized wild cat can become defensive if approached in the wild. They are around twice the size of a domestic cat and typically weigh around 5-16 kg and have stocky short legs and a short tail.

Their faces are round with elongated noses that gives them a civet-like appearance, which is why their scientific name is viverrine. They are agile and fast hunters and can reach fast speeds in pursuit of prey. They have an average lifespan of approximately 12 years. Ongoing threats include palm oil deforestation, and in Indonesia it is uncertain if their population have remained alive intact due to widespread deforestation and hunting pressures. Help these plucky little #wildcats when you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Amazon Palm Oil: Top Brands Source from Amazon Destroyers

Expose the truth about brands like Nestlé, PepsiCo, and Unilever sourcing “sustainable” palm oil from Brazil linked to violence, abuses and fraud. Shame!

Helmeted Hornbill Rhinoplax vigil

Helmeted #Hornbills are spectacular, large and intelligent #birds native to SE Asia, known for their substantial helmet-like structure on their head called a casque made of ivory. This hefty head accounts for 11% of their 3kg body weight. They are found on the Malay Peninsula: #Sumatra, #Borneo, #Myanmar and #Thailand. They are #criticallyendangered. Their main threats are illegal hunting and wildlife trade for their ivory casques along with palm oil and timber deforestation. Help them each time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

Spoiled Fruit: Land-grabbing, violence and slavery for “sustainable” palm oil

C4ADS analysis shows that the food conglomerates that feed millions—including giants such as Nestlé, Cargill, Adani Wilmar, IOI, Olenex and more —continue to enable forced labor through their indiscriminate import of tainted palm oil associated with slavery, indigenous land-grabbing, deforestation and human misery in the developing world.

Do humans really need other species?

Do humans need other #species? Yes! millions of organisms are needed to keep #ecosystems in balance and ensure everyone can survive. Most importantly, #research shows other species make us happy! Be 🐱🐷🐎🐕🐠 #Vegan for the animals 🍅🥦 #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Land-grabbing for palm oil and the climate crisis

Corporate monopolies drive land grabbing for palm oil, worsening the climate crisis. Indigenous peoples in Asia resist. Join the fight. #BoycottPalmOil

Thousands more species at risk of extinction than currently recorded, suggests new study

New research suggests the #extinction crisis may be even worse than we thought. More than half of species that have so far evaded any official conservation assessment are threatened with extinction. Some species that are not yet classified and are “data deficient” make up around 17% of the nearly 150,000 species currently assessed. according to predictions by researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Help them to survive! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata

African palm civets were once common seed dispersers. Now they face pressure from palm oil-driven deforestation, mining, and hunting for bushmeat – boycott!

Palm oil substitutes can offer beleaguered rainforests a fighting chance

Palm oil is a versatile substance used in a wide range of products from foods to cosmetics. The trouble with it is that the cultivation of oil palm trees has caused massive enviromental harm, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, which together account for 85% of palm oil production in the world.

But scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and the University of Malaya in Malaysia say they have an answer as to how we can wean ourselves off palm oil.

Buffy-tufted-ear Marmoset Callithrix aurita

Buffy-tufted-ear Marmosets are enchanting monkeys living in a tiny, isolated region of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. Fight for them and boycott palm oil!

Eyewitness Story: The Last Village by Dr Setia Budhi

A lone Dayak village in Borneo surrounded by palm oil plantations has held out for 14 years and resisted
corporate infiltration by global palm oil giants. My name is Dr Setia Budhi, I am a Dayak ethnographer and human rights advocate. I visited this village recently to see how they were going.

The Washington Post recommends that you boycott palm oil in 2022 and beyond

The original version of this article was published as ‘How to Make More Socially Conscious Halloween Candy Choices in The Washington Post on the 14th of October 2022. Originally written by Allyson Chiu and was republished via syndication by MSN While chocolate is a crowd-pleaser, the ubiquitous candy “has some pretty close associations with twoContinue reading “The Washington Post recommends that you boycott palm oil in 2022 and beyond”

Learn how to boycott palm oil this Halloween in America, the UK and Australia

The reality of these chocolate and confectionery brands is the spookiest story you will ever hear this Halloween Learn how to boycott with handy lists for the US, Uk and Australia. Discover the spookiest story of #Halloween 🎃👻💀: “sustainable” #palmoil is not sustainable! Major brands continue to buy #palmoil infused with #ecocide. Make sure youContinue reading “Learn how to boycott palm oil this Halloween in America, the UK and Australia”

Spectacled Bear Tremarctos ornatus

Spectacled #bears are known as the ‘peaceful and gentle bear’. They are the only bear living in the tropics of South America. Like many other animals in tropical ecosystems they are #endangered. They get their name from their eye-catching markings around their eyes, face and neck that resemble spectacles. Each bear has unique markings like a fingerprint and some bears don’t have them at all.

They are found throughout the thin line of Peruvian rainforest and their range stretches across several countries: Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Colombia. Their main threats are habitat loss to #gold #mining, timber, #meat, #palmoil and #soy as well as #hunting. Protect them each time you shop by being #boycotting meat, be #vegan #boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

Four Things to Know about Cholesterol

Cholesterol is among the most feared substances, but why? You need cholesterol to produce some hormones and to build vital structures in your body. But too much-referred to as high cholesterol-can build up in your arteries and lead to heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases. That’s why it’s important to get tested and knowContinue reading “Four Things to Know about Cholesterol”

What is causing the latest outbreak of Ebola in Uganda?

In light of the most recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda (over the past month), many people are experiencing a sense of déjà vu. The rapacious destruction of rainforests for palm oil, soy, meat and dairy by multinational corporations is deeply linked to the spread of infectious zoonotic diseases, such as Ebola. These diseases are becoming more and more commonplace with the destruction of the environment and growth of animal agriculture. This has enormous implications for human #health, food security, animal conservation and planetary health. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Caecilians: Secretive Underground Dwellers

OK, Ok…I know this is quite a scary photo but hear me out. Caecilians are legless, eyeless creatures live secretive, strange lives underground and underwater. Not quite snakes, not quite worms and not quite amphibians either.

Once you know more about them they may still come to you in dreams, but you might just love them too.

They belong to the same group of animals that includes frogs and salamanders. But unlike other amphibians, caecilians lack legs. Some caecilians are as short as a pencil, while others grow as long as a child. Their eyes are tiny and hidden beneath skin and sometimes bone. And they have a pair of tentacles on their face that can sniff out chemicals in the environment.

Kaapori Capuchin Cebus kaapori

The Kaapori capuchin is a delightful, tenacious and intelligent small monkey species of #Brazil on a knife-edge of survival – they are critically endangered. In 2017 their population had been decimated by 80% due to deforestation for agriculture including soy, cattle grazing and palm oil. They are forgotten animals with no formal protections in place. Fight for them every time you shop and be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

Seaweed is high in vitamins and minerals – but that’s not the only reason westerners should eat more of it

Edible seaweeds and algae – or sea vegetables – are a group of aquatic plants that are found in the ocean. Kelp, dulse, wakame and sea grapes are all types of seaweeds that are used in seaweed-based dishes. Seaweeds are a highly versatile and nutritious food source that can benefit our diet. Seaweeds are often rich in fibre and high in vitamins and minerals. This includes iodine and vitamin B12, which can be lacking in vegetarian and vegan diets.