The Palm Oil Threat

One of the largest threats to the orangutan is the huge deforestation of Borneo and Sumatra to make way for palm oil plantations. Orangutans are predominantly solitary creatures who require large amounts of forest in order to provide them with enough food. With the deforestation these animals are being squashed into ever decreasing pockets of forest. They are often seen as pests and are frequently killed in order to make way for palm oil trees.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil used in thousands of every day products all around the world. It can be found in biscuits, chocolate, margarine, toothpaste and make-up. The oil palm tree originates from Africa, but because it flourishes anywhere with heat and regular rainfall, it has become the plantation crop of this century.

Currently companies are not required to state the type of palm oil used in its products, let alone whether or not the palm oil is from sustainable supplies or not. In fact, many probably don't know if they use palm oil in the products on their shelves.

Palm oil will also soon be driving cars as bio-fuel.

As demand for this product grows, the threat to the orangutan increases. One of our closest relatives is close to extinction. There are many predictions to how long this creature can survive in the wild, but it could be as little as 10 years before there are no wild orangutans left on Borneo or Sumatra.

This is why we need to act now. We need to write letters to MPs, MEPs and large companies such as Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Mars, Nestle and Cadbury demanding that we, the consumer, are better informed of their use of palm oil and how they intend to ensure it is from sustainable resources. By doing this we can put pressure on them to change what they do and make real change to the world of the orangutan. They have a responsibility and so do we.