Palm Oil is Destroying Malaysia’s Peatswamp Forests Faster than Ever

According to new figures from Wetlands International and Sarvision, "An increasing part of Malaysia’s palm oil is produced at the account of huge areas of tropical peatswamp forests....and may lead to the complete loss of these vast, unique forests by the end of this decade." Further statistics in the article say that palm oil is used in 50% of all consumer goods and Malaysia takes care of 45% of that production.

The problems

Growing plantations on peatlands leads to deforestation, organic soil degradation, loss of unique species (see map), and increased CO2 emissions.

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Call for Action

• Ban palm oil production on peatlands
• Halt any further conversion of natural areas for palm oil crops
• End incentives for EU biofuels
• Opt for sustainable palm oil -- focus on the millions of degraded hectares of land (available in SE Asia)

View the full story at peacenews.org