Forest clearing for palm oil in Papua Province, by Ulet Ifansasti.

The diverse uses of palm oil, derived from the palm species Elaeis guineensis, is responsible for its popularity. The oil extracted from this plant can be used as cooking oil, food additive, cosmetics, and biofuel. Some examples of products containing palm oil are soap, pizza doe, ice cream, noodles, margarine, chocolate among others.

From 1980 to 2000, the production of palm oil globally increased from 4.5 million to 20.9 million tonnes per year, and this increase in production was followed by the expansion of oil-palm agriculture in southeast Asia, destroying habitats and threatening the survival of many native species, including the Orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus).

One cannot ignore the benefits of palm oil, as it is one of the most economically relevant crops in the southeast of Asia, where many oil-palm plantations provide employment, housing, basic amenities (e.g. water, electricity), medical cares for the ones working in the industry. Many villages in rural areas are dependent on the agriculture of this plant.

Is there a sustainable solution?

As the market grows, soy expansion also reached Subsaarian Africa, and although it hasn´t been considered a great deforestation problem yet, the fate of its forests might be the same as areas like Indonesia, where this product is the biggest responsible for habitat destruction.

Would you like to read more?

Everyday products contain palm oil - WWF
Koh, L. P., & Wilcove, D. S. (2007). Cashing in palm oil for conservation. Nature, 448(7157), 993–994. https://doi.org/10.1038/448993a