Transparency International: Corruption of Indonesian Palm Oil

According to a May 2023 report by Transparency International, the top 50 palm oil companies in Indonesia are beset by deep problems: a lack of transparency in company ownership and who are the ultimate beneficiaries of profits, conflicts of interest, revolving-door politics, and politically exposed persons within companies.

All of the above makes the palm oil industry in Indonesia seriously susceptible to corporate capture and corruption. Don’t trust palm oil. Instead #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop

Ultra-processed Foods: Trashing Health and The Planet

Our world is facing a huge challenge: we need to create enough high-quality, diverse and nutritious food to feed a growing population – and do so within the boundaries of our planet. This means significantly reducing the environmental impact of the global food system. Below is information about how you can identify ultra processed foods containing palm oil and other harmful ingredients in order to avoid them – for your own health and the health of the planet. Help the planet, animals and indigenous peoples – #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Banded Surili (Raffles Banded Langur) Presbytis femoralis

A curious and intelligent small monkey species, Raffles’ Banded Langurs are also known by their other common names: Banded Leaf Monkey or Banded Surili. Endemic to the southern Malay Peninsula and Singapore, this critically endangered monkey is now found in only a few fragmented pockets of primary and secondary forest, swamps, mangroves, and rubber plantations. Once widespread across Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand, the banded surili’s population has plummeted—fewer than 60 individuals survive in Malaysia, with Singapore’s last wild group clinging to existence in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Palm oil deforestation and habitat destruction continue to erase their world. Help them survive and #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop.

The CUT Campaign and its partners ask MP Kemi Badenoch to keep UK tariffs palm oil to prevent ecocide

Last month UK Tory MP Kemi Badenoch announced that a new UK trade deal would cut tariffs on palm oil imports from 12% to zero.

This move will likely grease the way towards the UK importing palm oil deforestation and human rights abuses from Malaysia and Indonesia into the UK.

Environmental groups: CUT Campaign, Palm Oil Detectives, Bruno Manser Fond, Save Rivers, Extinction Rebellion and many others strongly object to this decision by the UK government. Read on below to watch the video, sign the petition and join the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife movement to take action against palm oil greed and ecocide.

Dwindling tropical rainforests mean lost medicines yet to be discovered in their plants

About 80% of the world population relies on compounds derived from plants for medicines to treat various ailments, such as malaria and cancer, and to suppress pain. Our future medicines are likely to come from plants, but how effectively are we protecting these plants from extinction? We aren’t doing enough and we must do more!

The right for nature to simply exist is clear – the movement to enshrine this into law is growing

The idea that nature — forests , rivers, mountains — could have rights, in the same way that human rights, or corporate rights exist has been building momentum. A historic global agreement has been reached to try to protect the plants and animals of this world from further demise. 

Dhole Canis Cuon alpinus

Fiercely protective, elusive and beautiful #Dholes are an ancient species of #wilddog that diverged from other dog species millions of years ago living in #Bangladesh, #Cambodia, #China, #India, #Indonesia, #Laos, #Myanmar, #Nepal and #Thailand. Dholes are also known as Asiatic Wild Dogs, Indian Wild Dogs, Red #Wolves and Mountain Wolves. Once found across the Russian Steppe, China, the Middle East and northern Asia their range has been fractured and reduced dramatically by human-related pressures and threats. Ongoing major threats are #deforestation for #meat and #palmoil along with human persecution. They are now classified as Endangered on IUCN Red List. Help them to survive, every time you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

NHS Health Guide: Lower Your Cholesterol – Reduce Palm Oil and Other Saturated Fats

The National Health Service (NHS) is the UK government’s public health service. In this factsheet, they recommend people limit palm oil, meat, dairy and other saturated fats in their diets.

For optimal health, the NHS recommends people to adopt a largely palm oil free, plant-based diet rich in diverse plants and wholegrain foods. Adopting this diet along with exercising regularly and limiting alcohol and cigarettes substantially reduces one’s risk of dying of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and obesity, as well as many chronic health conditions.

There are other benefits to adopting a palm oil free and plant-based diet. By doing this, you are refusing to sponsor palm oil related ecocide and human rights atrocities in the developing world. #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

Spiny-headed Tree Frog Triprion spinosus

Help save the Spiny-headed Tree Frog, elusive and shy arboreal frogs threatened by deforestation in Mexico and Panama. Boycott palm oil for them!

A Broken Record on Repeat – Animal Extinction Likely if Palm Oil Expands in North East India

As with the forest kingdoms of Borneo and the Amazon rainforest, the Indian forest kingdom of the Golden Langurs and Pygmy Hogs is under siege by palm oil in the north east of India. The region is home to some of the most endangered wildlife in the world. Situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, the whole area is one of the most fertile and diverse places on the planet. This region is earmarked for destruction for palm oil. Renowned British wildlife photographer Craig Jones went there to photograph pygmy hogs and report on their dwindling home.

Golden Langur Trachypithecus geei

The regal, striking looking Golden #langurs Trachypithecus geei is also known by the common names Gee’s Golden #langur. They are the most endangered primate species in #India and are considered to be sacred to many Himalayan peoples. Once widespread, they are now only found in a handful of fragmented forests straddling India and Bhutan. They are classified as endangered due to #palmoil, #meat and #timber #deforestation and hunting. Golden langurs are known for their expressive eyes and grumpy expressions. This has made them the subject of global fascination and online memes. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan, #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife

Oligarchs weaken Indonesia’s fight against corruption

The system is failing. #Indonesia’s own parliament, backed by big business interests, has succeeded in weakening the very system set up to fight corruption. Resist the corruption! #FightGreenwashing #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🩸⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife

RSPO member SIAT leaves Nigerian farmers without food. Leases their illegally taken land for €1.23 Euros per hectare, per year

A 5-month investigation by Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi and Kevin Woke of Sahara Reporters reveals how RSPO member SIAT Nigeria Limited is involved in human rights abuses and land-grabbing on host communities’ lands. Journalists Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi and Kevin Woke also discovered that palm oil company SIAT who illegally took their land are leasing it for a mere 600 Naira (N600) per hectare annually – the equivalent of €1.23 Euros per year to lease it.

River pollution by pesticides and restriction by the company to land, where locals can grow food has meant that their food and water supply is contaminated – starvation is now an urgent problem.  

All of this occurs under the guise of “sustainable” palm oil pushed by the RSPO to consumers. SIAT’s palm oil is used in consumer products by PZ Cussons (source), Nestle (source) and Danone (source). This is wh you should #Boycottpalmoil

Story via Sahara Reporters. Additional info: Chain Reaction Research

Uncovering The Glasswing Butterfly’s See-through Wings

Most butterflies sport colourful, eye-catching wings. But some species flit about using mostly transparent wings. Researchers have now uncovered the tricks that one of these — the glasswing butterfly (Greta oto) — uses to hide in plain sight. The tricks of their transparency include sparse, spindly scales and a waxy coated membrane. Many thousands of insect species are threatened by large-scale deforestation for agriculture and especially pesticides. Help them to survive and #BoycottPesticides #BoycottPalmOil!  

Pygmy Hog Porcula salvania

Pygmy hogs are only found in the lush and dense grasslands of Manas National Park, a small protected region in the shadows of the Himalayan mountains. These shy tiny wild pigs are the smallest pigs in the world and also the most endangered, threatened by habitat loss for palm oil and meat agriculture. Help them to survive each time you shop and #BeVegan #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife

India’s Palm Oil Goals Raise Extinction Fears

A corporate monopoly for control over land and resources for palm oil must be dismantled immediately to give humanity, animals and our natural world a fighting chance for survival and to reverse the climate crisis. In Asia, many indigenous peoples are now joining forces and rising up to resist this corruption and ecocide.

White-Nosed Saki Chiropotes albinasus

Curious, social and beautiful White-Nosed Sakis are striking and unusual looking #primates. This vulnerable primate is instantly recognisable by their long, silky black fur, reddish-pink noses, and distinctive hair tufts crowning their heads. The white-Nosed Saki’s range spans the shaded forests south-west of the Dos Marmelos river, where they are vulnerable from human-related threats including #palmoil, #soy and #meat #deforestation, #goldmining and human persecution. They deserve us to fight for their survival. Help them every time you shop and be #Vegan #BoycottPalmOil and #Boycott4Wildlife

Nicobar Islands Port and Palm Oil: Threatens Giant Turtles

On Great Nicobar Island in the most southerly part of India, big plans are in motion to transform the island into a shipping hub and destroy its native ecosystems including mangroves, reef systems and forests, putting the already endangered leatherback sea turtle (along with 1000’s of other species) perilously close to extinction. Around one million trees are set to be felled to make way for palm oil and other monoculture crops on the islands, writes PhD Candidate Divya Narain for The Conversation. Read on after to discover how to help these beautiful animals.

Indonesia’s Misinformation Favours Obedience, Not Truth

Indonesia’s online space is polluted by fake news. The government’s media literacy program promotes its own interests and greenwashing, boycott palm oil!

Southern Ground-hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri

Territorial and highly social, Southern Ground #Hornbills collectively raise their young in groups – a process of parental guidance that can take up to two years – the longest of any #bird species known. They are considered to be a culturally important species to many indigenous peoples and are known as rain birds or thunder birds for their folklore association with bringing rain and ending drought. Help them to survive every time you shop and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Sumatran elephants: Surrounded by palm oil and nobody knows how many are left alive!

Sumatran elephants in Indonesia’s North Aceh district are being increasingly encircled by shrinking patches of forest. Their home is being destroyed primarily for oil palm plantations.

Ongoing attempts of scientists to take a measure of their population have been hampered and oppressed by the Indonesian government, which has also attempted to prevent media coverage of the issue. Help these irreplacable beings every time you shop, #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Palm Oil: A Recipe for Disaster in India

Given the widespread destruction of rainforests and native biodiversity caused by oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia, environmental experts and politicians are warning that the move to promote palm oil cultivation in India’s northeastern States and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands could be disastrous, writes Priscilla Jerbaraj in The Hindu.

Amazon River Dolphin Inia geoffrensis

The Amazon River dolphins, also known as the Boto Dolphins or Amazon Pink River Dolphins are playful, curious and intelligent mammals, the largest river dolphin species in the world. Known for their stunning pink coloured skin they are endangered due to human-related threats like #palmoil, #meat and #soy #deforestation, #gold #mining and #pollution. Help them survive each time you shop and use your wallet as a weapon. Be #vegan, #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife

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

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

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.