Paradigm Shift Project:
Indonesia is a country of incredible beauty. As one of
the more biodiverse regions on our planets, its role in the environmental
future of our globe is paramount.
With the increasing demand for cheap biofuels to
lessen the global north's dependency on foreign petroleum, palm oil plantations
have taken precedence over much of Indonesia's last remaining rainforests- the
only refuge for critically endangered species, such as the orangutan, who
shares 96.4% of our genes.
This project concerns the social, environmental, and
economic impacts of palm oil production in Indonesia, including the loss of
over 2.8 million hectares of primary rainforest each year. A common ingredient
in thousands of products, from anti-freeze to shampoo to potato chips, palm oil
comprises an integral part of Indonesia's economy. However, its resulting
impacts on local communities, including conflicts over human rights, land
rights, and environmental protection, are little known.
Informed by the work of local non-profit organizations
like Sawit Watch, Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari, WALHI- Friends of the Earth
Indonesia, Pan Eco, Leuser International Foundation, Fauna and Flora
International, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, and the Sumatran
Orangutan Society, this project is building tools to educate global consumers,
enabling them to realize the effects of palm oil consumption, and also how they
can be part of a more sustainable solution.
Established over 15 years ago, oil palm producer MRICOP (Mong Reththy Investment Cambodia Oil Palm Company Ltd) is today owned in joint venture by Thai-based conglomerate Thai Charoen Corporation Group (TCC) and Cambodia’s Mong Reththy Group of Companies. [Eurasia Industry]
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