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RSPO a real threat to orangutans: Group
Orangutans in the wild remain under serious threat of extinction, despite claims by palm oil firms of applying eco-friendly work practices, an environmental group said Thursday
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Orangutans in the wild remain under serious threat of extinction, despite claims by palm oil firms of applying eco-friendly work practices, an environmental group said Thursday.
The Center for Orangutan Protection (COP) said palm oil companies' refusal to approve a moratorium on forest and peatland conversion could speed up the extinction of the protected apes, particularly those living outside conservation areas.
"The palm oil producers are exploiting the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) to build a 'green' image," said Novi Hardianto, the COP's habitat program manager.
"The fact is there is no proven link between RSPO guidelines and clear-cutting of forests for palm oil plantations."
He said while palm oil industry was busy discussing RSPO criteria, forest clearing continued unabated, killing orangutans in the process.
"The forest is continuously being cleared and orangutans are killed every year by the members of the RSPO. It's ironic," he said.
In a recent investigation, the COP found two palm oil firms in Central Kalimantan, both of them RSPO members, endangered orangutan populations with their clear-cutting.
"Our team found nets, footprints, food remains and sounds indicating the presence of rare and protected wild animals including orangutans, sun bears and Borneo gibbons, but there was no report from the company about it," he said.
Central Kalimantan is home to the country's largest orangutan population, with 31,300 of the great apes as of 2004.
The COP estimates with the population declining by 9 percent each year, the remaining orangutans only number 20,032 at present.
"Of this number, 8,631 orangutans currently live outside designated conservation areas, and often come under threat. Their habitats are destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations," he said.
The RSPO is a global and multi-stakeholder initiative on sustainable palm oil production.
It currently has 69 members worldwide, with 39 firms from Indonesia implementing its criteria.
However, no Indonesian palm oil plantations has yet obtained the official RSPO certificate, under which they are required to apply eight principles with 39 criteria, including environmental responsibility and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity in their operations.
The RSPO bars members from clearing primary forests or forests of a high conservation value.
RSPO spokeswoman Desi Kusmadewi denied accusations the forum posed a threat to orangutan populations, saying the RSPO sought to improve environmental practices within the palm oil industry.
She added the group had yet to receive complaints from the public about violations of RSPO practices in the field.
"Everybody can file formal protests against us if our members don't comply with RSPO criteria in practice," she said.
She added the RSPO had set up a team to follow up on complaints and hand down sanctions to errant members.
Palm oil contributed US$8 billion to the country's export value and employed up to three million people in 2007.
Indonesia is the world's largest palm oil producer, harvesting some 17.4 million tons of the commodity from its 6.8 million hectares of plantations last year.
