This article originally appeared in Mongabay. Editor’s note: The strong focus on mapping forests mentioned in this article makes one suspicious. Mapping is needed for governments to control “natural ressources” and give concessions to companies to exploit them. It was never needed for indigenous populations, so far as, since they’ve known their landbase for millenia. … Continue reading Indigenous Papuans won their forest back from a palm oil firm, but still lack land title→
by Liam Campbell In 1997, forest fires in Indonesia grew so large that they accounted for 40% of global emissions during that period. The Borneo rainforest is the most ancient in the world, having taken 120 million years to evolve into its current state of rich diversity. Indonesia is also home to some of the … Continue reading Deafening silence as the Borneo rainforest burns→
by Sebastián Ortega and Jhonny Valle Ayuque / openDemocracy via Intercontinental Cry Leader of the Shipibo-konibo community, Olivia Arévalo Lomas, was 81 years old when she was shot in the chest and murdered. The principal suspect, Canadian Paul Woodroffe, died a few hours later. The leader, practitioner of traditional medicine and defender of the Peruvian Amazon, Olivia … Continue reading The Tragic Death of Peruvian Indigenous Healer Olivia Arévalo→
Featured image: Oil palm seedlings at Tamaco Commercial Oil Palm Nursery. Photo by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas by World Rainforest Movement via Intercontinental Cry For decades, the World Rainforest Movement (WRM) has demanded that the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) urgently reviews its forest definition, which mainly benefits the interests of industrial monoculture tree plantations … Continue reading Deceit and Destruction Behind FAO’s Forest Definition→
…but at least they released the trailer for the new Star Wars film. Julian Langer / Deep Green Resistance UK Children are choking to death and being prepared for evacuation as forest fires ravage Indonesia in what is probably the most severe environmental disaster of the 21st century. Endangered orangutans are losing their homes and … Continue reading We just lost two million hectares of forest and two years to prevent runaway climate change…→
By Diana Parker / Mongabay Nearly 150 homes were reportedly destroyed in the latest incident in a long-standing conflict between indigenous Batin Sembilan residents and former Wilmar unit PT Asiatic Persada. Indonesian security forces allegedly stormed several villages inside a Sumatran palm oil plantation concession last weekend and earlier this week, accompanying company staff and … Continue reading Palm oil company and Indonesian government raid indigenous villages, destroy 150 homes→
By Jeremy Hance / Mongabay Industrial oil palm plantations are spreading from Malaysia and Indonesia to the Congo raising fears about deforestation and social conflict. A new report by The Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK), dramatically entitled The Seeds of Destruction, announces that new palm oil plantations in the Congo rainforest will soon increase fivefold to … Continue reading Capitalists amping up destruction of Congo rainforests for palm oil plantations→
By Bangor University Growing oil palm to make ‘green’ biofuels in the tropics could be accelerating the effects of climate change, say scientists. Researchers from Bangor University found the creation of oil palm plantations are releasing prehistoric sources of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere. The findings throw into doubt hopes that biofuels grown in … Continue reading New report shows “green” biofuels made from palm oil accelerating climate change→
By Agence France-Presse A large palm oil plantation project in development in Cameroon since 2010 will put livelihoods and ecosystems in peril if allowed to continue, a US-based think-tank warned Wednesday. “With the loss of livelihoods by thousands of Cameroonians on the line and critical and unique ecosystems in peril, this project must be stopped,” … Continue reading Massive palm oil plantation in Cameroon endangering “biodiversity hotspot”, dispossessing locals→
