Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plants
The wet, tropical climate of this region produces an amazing range of trees, plants and
flowers, including such signature species as the carnivorous pitcher plant, numerous orch-
ids and the parasitic rafflesia (or 'corpse flower'), which produces the world's largest
flower - a whopping 1m across when fully open. However, vast tracts of rainforest have
been cleared to make way for plantations of cash crops such as rubber and palm oil. Just
look out of the window on the flight into Kuala Lumpur International Airport and you'll
see endless rows of oil palms.
Ian Buchanan spent eight years creating the exquisite illustrations and text for
Fatimah's Kampung,
a parable
about how Malaysia is in the process of sacrificing nature and traditional values for economic develop-
ment.
Palm-Oil Plantations
The oil palm, a native of West Africa that was introduced into Malaysia in the 1870s, is
probably now the most common tree in Malaysia. The country's first palm-oil plantation
was established in 1917; today, according to the Malaysian Palm Oil Council
(
www.mpoc.org.my
)
, Malaysia is the world's leading producer of palm oil, accounting for
over 40% of global production. The oil is extracted from the orange-coloured fruit, which
grows in bunches just below the fronds. It is used primarily for cooking, although it can
also be refined into biodiesel - an alternative to fossil fuels.
For all the crop's benefits, there have been huge environmental consequences to the cre-
ation of vast plantations that have replaced the native jungle and previously logged forests;
in 2003 Friends of the Earth reported that palm-oil production was responsible for 87% of
deforestation in Malaysia. The use of polluting pesticides and fertilisers in palm-oil produc-
tion also undermines the crop's eco credentials. Palm-oil plantations convert land into per-
manent monoculture, reducing the number of plant species by up to 90%. Oil palms require
large quantities of herbicides and pesticides that can seep into rivers; drainage may lower
water tables, drying out nearby peat forests (and releasing huge quantities of greenhouse
gases in the process). Plantations also fragment the natural habitats that are especially im-
portant to large mammals.
The Palm Oil Action Group (
www.palmoilaction.org.au
) is an Australian pressure group
raising awareness about palm oil and the need to use alternatives. Roundtable on Sustain-
able Palm Oil tries to look at the issue from all sides while seeking to develop and imple-
