Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
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Palm Oil and the Loss of Rainforests
The oil palms (Elaeis) of West Africa have been imported worldwide to produce palm oil for grow-
ing markets. Palm oil is used as a biofuel, ingredient in food products, cosmetic base, and engine
lubricant. Oil palm productivity is high, yielding more per acre than any other tropical crop and
provides strong economic growth in Malaysia and Indonesia. Unfortunately, oil palm production
involves clearing large expanses of rainforest and the heavy use of pesticides and herbicides. Once
the forest is cleared, oil palms are planted and can produce for about 25 years. Then the plants
become too tall to collect the fruit (from which the oil is derived) economically. After that time,
the land is deserted and turns to scrub vegetation. Clearing the forest for oil palm production
leads to the extinctions of many species. Indonesia has developed plans to create oil palm planta-
tions in and around national parks and reserves, fragmenting the only large remnants of undis-
turbed rainforest in the region.
Economic development created by forest clearing for timber and the cultivation of oil palms is
not sustainable in most areas. Demand for palm oil by China largely fuels this development. Indo-
nesia and Malaysia continue to expand their economies and have found palm oil production to be
highly profitable; unfortunately, however, the loss of rainforest and biodiversity is extremely high.
Proposals from industrial countries to pay for rainforest conservation in exchange for carbon
credits to offset their carbon emissions may provide limited relief. Demand for sustainable and re-
sponsible production of oil palm from importing nations may help to limit some deforestation,
but many have shown reluctance in requiring responsible production.
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The rainforests of New Guinea are rapidly being exploited. The western, Indo-
nesian side of New Guinea (Papua and Iran Jaya) is experiencing rapid destruction
as the Indonesian government continues to settle people on the island. On the east-
ern side, in Papua New Guinea, agricultural conversions and timber production
once occurred on a small portion of the area, but these conversions have been
expanding rapidly since the year 2000. Increased population, timber, and mining
explorations continue to be threats. The rainforests of Australia remain largely
intact and protected, although they are extremely vulnerable to introductions of
invasive species. Many of the rainforests of the Asian Pacific are vulnerable to
introductions of invasive species. Humans have brought many species (intention-
ally and unintentionally) into areas where these populations can explode due to the
lack of natural predators. Islands are particularly vulnerable when these introduc-
tions occur and have wiped out entire populations of endemic species.
Protected areas and reserves are found throughout the region. Many are there
to protect individual species such as the Asian elephant, rhino, orangutan, and
Komodo dragon, while others protect entire forests. In late 2007, Indonesia, with
financial assistance from Australia, set aside 173,000 ac (70,000 ha) of peat forest
in Borneo. The burning of peat forests is a large contributor to greenhouse gas
emissions. By preserving this area, Indonesia is conserving biodiversity as well as
limiting greenhouse gas emissions in this part of the world.
