Palm oil: A new threat to Africa's monkeys

and apes?
By Helen Briggs BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45146581
14 August 2018

Image copyright Getty Images

Endangered monkeys and apes could face new risks if Africa becomes a big player in the
palm oil industry.

Most areas suitable for growing the oil crop are key habitats for primates, a study suggests.

The researchers, who are examining palm oil's possible effect on Africa's biodiversity, say
consumers can help by choosing sustainably-grown palm oil.

This may mean paying more for food, cosmetics and cleaning products that contain the oil, or
limiting their use.

"If we are concerned about the environment, we have to pay for it," said Serge Wich, professor of
primate biology at Liverpool John Moores University, and leader of the study.

"In the products that we buy, the cost to the environment has to be incorporated."

Follow these BBC links for more information

Is beauty killing the beasts?
Palm oil: What are the issues?

And this link to an earlier report from the Independent newspaper, published June 2018 and
copied to this Blog
https://apeslcv.wordpress.com/media-and-interest/polemic-palm-oil-plantations-or-not/
What is palm oil?
Palm oil comes from the oil palm tree, which is native to West Africa. However, most palm oil is
currently grown in Indonesia and Malaysia. P

Image copyright Getty Images

87% of primate species

in Madagascar are
threatened with
extinction

Environmentalists say the region's forests have paid the price, with native trees cut down to make
way for palm trees.

Oil palm expansion is a major driver of deforestation, which in turn threatens wildlife, such as the
critically endangered orangutan of Borneo.

Image copyright Getty Images

Borneo orangutans are found in areas

allocated to oil palm

However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says replacing palm oil with
other oil crops is not a solution, as these crops have lower yields and would take up more land.

They say to reduce the impact on biodiversity, palm oil needs to be produced more sustainably by
avoiding deforestation and by reducing the use of palm oil in products other than food.

Palm oil is found in many supermarket products, including soaps and cosmetics. A huge amount is
now also being used in biofuel.

Where is further expansion likely?

Many companies growing palm oil are looking to expand into Africa.

This is a worry for conservationists, as potential plantation sites are in areas of rich biodiversity.
 Image copyright Getty Images

Palm oil plantation from the air

They are particularly worried about Africa's primates. Nearly 200 primate species are found in
Africa, many of which are already under threat.

Habitat destruction is one of the main reasons why all great apes are at the edge of extinction. The
introduction of palm oil plantations to Africa is expected to accelerate the habitat loss.

The latest research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(PNAS).

The study found that while oil palm cultivation represents an important source of income for many
tropical countries, there are few opportunities for compromise by growing palm oil in areas that
are of low importance for primate conservation.

"We found that such areas of compromise are very rare throughout the continent (0.13 million
hectares), and that large-scale expansion of oil palm cultivation in Africa will have unavoidable,
negative effects on primates," said the research team.

To put that figure into context, 53 million hectares of land will be needed by 2050 to grow palm
oil in order to meet global demand.

Dr Giovanni Strona of the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, worked on
the study.

He said primates are already in steep decline in Africa due to habitat loss and poaching.

"The main message is that, due to the large overlap between areas that are suitable to grow oil
palm and areas that host many vulnerable primates, it will be extremely challenging to reconcile
oil palm expansion and African primate conservation," he explained.

What can be done to tackle the problem?

The IUCN says effective policies are needed to stop the clearing of native tropical forests for new
oil palm plantations.

In existing oil palm plantations, companies should manage their land to reduce impacts on
biodiversity.

Consumers can also help by choosing products that use sustainable palm oil and cutting down on
the amount of palm oil they buy.