Forest-fire haze drifting from Indonesia to neighbouring countries every dry season has eluded efforts to curb it.
Land clearing by burning is prohibited in Indonesia and Malaysia. However, penalising foreign companies for palm oil and timber deforestation has been hampered by cronyism and corruption.
Under-explored legal avenues may provide new solutions to the decades-old problem.
In Peninsular Malaysia, a new study published in Cell Biology by a team led by Dr Anna Holzner of German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig has found that infant mortality rates among wild southern pig-tailed macaques are alarmingly high due to frequent visits to oil palm plantations.
These plantations expose the infants to increased risks from predators, human encounters, and harmful agricultural chemicals, potentially affecting the development and survival of infant macaques. The study, conducted in collaboration of international researchers, observed that prolonged exposure to these plantations during infancy triples the likelihood of death.
The study suggests that pesticides used in agriculture could cross the placental barrier or be transmitted through breastmilk, impacting fetal development and health. This significant research underlines the urgent need for eco-friendly agricultural practices to protect wildlife and human communities near plantations. Take action and join the movement to #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop!
The Sulu Hornbill is one of the rarest birds in the world. They are large and almost entirely black except for a white tail, with a thick black bill, a black casque, and black skin around the eye. Males have pale eyes, females have brown eyes and a smaller casque. These striking birds are native to the Sulu Islands, possibly now only found on Tawi-Tawi due to hunting and palm oil deforestation throughout their range. In 2018 there was only a few dozen left. Help their survival and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
Green Dragontails could arguably be called the most exquisite and beautiful butterflies alive.
They flutter through sunlit patches of leaves near to streams and rivers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, and northeastern India.
They are mostly black and white with a bright turquoise or light green band running roughly parallel to their abdomens.
Their forewings feature a stunning glass-like transparent triangle known as a hyaline. Their tail features a star-like galaxy pattern that glints in sunlight.
It has been over a decade since they were last surveyed, their range overlaps significantly with areas already cleared for palm oil. Help their survival and use your wallet as a weapon! #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
Stunning bright coloured Philippine sailfin lizards are becoming more and more rare from palm oil deforestation across their range in #WestPapua #Philippines and eastern #Indonesia. They are also threatened by hunting and the pet trade. Males turn a dark violet colour during mating season and flare their extravagant sail-like fins to announce their mating prowess. They have a third eye on the top of their head which enables them to sense sunlight. Help them survive and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
The Quince Monitor Varanus melinus is a rare and elusive species of monitor lizard that lives in only one location in Indonesia – the Maluku Islands. Their muscular, wide stance and ancient dragon-like looks make them fascinating to behold. They are endangered primarily from palm oil deforestation in their range. They have no known protections in place.
Protect them each time you shop by boycotting meat and palm oil in the supermarket.
Researchers travel into the remote wilderness to study the world’s most endangered crocodilian, the placid, cryptic and little-known Siamese crocodile. Help their survival in the supermarket and be vegan, boycott crocodile leather and #Boycott4Wildlife
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.
Fiercely protective, elusive and beautiful Dholes are an ancient species of wild dog that diverged from other dog species millions of years ago. 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. They are now Endangered on IUCN Red List.
The Dhole have a striking and intense appearance with thick and dense fur ranging from pale gold, to yellow to dark reddish-brown and grey-brown. Their underside is typically a paler colour of creamy white. They differ from other dog species in that they have a thicker muzzle, one fewer molar on each side of their jaws and additional teats. They are average sized dogs and typically weigh between 10 – 25kg with males being about 4.5kg heavier than females.
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.
Between 924-1360 individual Sumatran elephants hang on for survival in Sumatra trapped on all sides by #palmoil #deforestation.
“Sustainable” palm oil is a lie. Fight for them and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
This species was 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.
Pint-sized and cute primate the Bangka #Slowloris is critically endangered from #palmoil #deforestation. Just 20% of their rainforest remains on Bangka island, #Indonesia. Help them every time you shop, be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
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 their noses elongated, giving 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. Help them every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
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 critically endangered. 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
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.
Elusive, forest-dwelling apex predators in New Guinea, Papuan eagles are classified as vulnerable and rapidly declining due to enormous deforestation for mining and palm oil in Papua New Guinea and West Papua along with hunting threats. They are poorly studied birds and therefore estimates of their populations may be severely overestimated, meaning that they are in much more serious strife than we know.
While there have probably never been high densities of the Papuan eagle, evidence indicates that they are declining rapidly. It is possible that the entire population is considerably under 10,000 individuals. There is no evidence that the Papuan eagle is adaptable to the opening of forests and the eagles appear to abandon areas especially where logging roads have been cut into the forests.
Help them every time you shop and be #vegan, #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
Indonesia is home to two of the world’s five rhinoceros species. Both the Javan rhino Rhinoceros sondaicus and the Sumatran rhino Dicerorhinus sumatrensis still exist today, uniquely only in the country. In India’s north east, the Indian Rhino hangs on to survival. Yet their existence has become increasingly fragile due to the unrelenting growth of palm oil in both of these countries.
#WorldRhinoDay is 22nd Sept. But every day should be World Rhino Day as three of the five species of rhino may go extinct as a result of #palmoil #deforestation and illegal poaching. Fight for them each time you shop and be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
Apex predator and flying royalty of the jungle, Philippine #Eagles are critically endangered from #climatechange, #palmoil, #timber and #cacao #deforestation and illegal #hunting.
There are estimated to be only 180-600 eagles left in the wild. Protecting the Philippine eagle would also protect 780 other plant and animal species in the Philippines. Help them every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
There are estimated to be only 180-600 eagles left in the wild. Help them every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
With only 74 individuals left, the remarkable and beautiful Javan Rhino is on the brink of extinction and can be found on one of the most densely populated islands in the world – Java. Boycotting palm oil is how you can help them. Sunarto, Universitas Indonesia The Javan rhino was once found throughout many partsContinue reading “How do we protect the rapidly disappearing Javan Rhino?”
Knobbed Hornbill Rhyticeros cassidix Sulawesi, Indonesia Vulnerable Recent analysis has suggested that the Knobbed Hornbill may be declining at a rate approaching 40% over three generations based on recent and ongoing rates of habitat loss on Sulawesi (D. Holmes in litt. 1999, Kinnaird and O’Brien 2007). IUCN red list The Knobbed Hornbill is spectacular andContinue reading “Knobbed Hornbill Rhyticeros cassidix”
Binturong Arctictis binturong Bangladesh; Bhutan; Cambodia; China; India; Indonesia (Kalimantan, Jawa, Sumatera); Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Malaysia (Sarawak, Sabah, Peninsular Malaysia); Myanmar; Nepal; Philippines; Thailand; Vietnam Presence Uncertain: Brunei Darussalam Vulnerable Habitat loss has been the predominant driver of decline of the Binturong’s southern (Sundaic) portion of the range, where a significant proportion of lowlandContinue reading “Binturong Arctictis binturong”
Palm Oil Detectives 